Elementary Instability
by UnHalfWritten
Summary: It's Kuroko's first year at Elementary School and he is struggling to make friends. However, everything changes when he is paired with Akashi Seijuro for an assignment. They become a semblance of friends. For better or worse, Kuroko is not sure. AU. No basketball
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one- One Hundred Percent**

The family car came to a stop with a slight jolt outside the Elementary school, which appeared very taunting to the occupant in the passenger seat. Kuroko Tetsuya craned his neck to peer over the dash, catching a glimpse of the building. Despite only living a couple of streets away, his mother had insisted on driving him to his first day of school and meeting his teacher. Kuroko weakly protested, knowing it would make no difference when his mother set her mind on something.

The boy opened the car door diffidently and squirmed out of his seat, breathing in the pleasantly mild April air. His uniform felt stiff on his body, long socks uncomfortably resting below his knees.

"Tetsuya look! The cherry blossoms are in bloom!" His mother noted excitedly, to which her son replied with a nod. His mother was right, the pink flowers covered the pathway like paint, littering the ground with grandeur, a soft carpet being squashed by a hasty gaggle of parents and students.

Kuroko's mother tenderly gripped his hand and led him over to the classroom board. Locating her son's name too quickly for him to spy any familiar names… not that he was acquainted with many.

When the pair arrived, the classroom was humming with energy, filled with children his age clinging onto parent's legs, or happily giggling and loudly conversing with one another. His mother nudged him in the direction of a group of laughing boys and proceeded to chat with other parents and his teacher.

Kuroko gulped solidly before approaching the group, standing in a small gap between two of the boys. None of the boys noticed him, yet Kuroko, not knowing whether to add into the conversation or stay silent, did not do anything better than to stand there and listen to their conversation.

"Mama said that this class scored the highest results in the entrance exams!" The boy on his left gossiped. "We could be geniuses—Wah!"

Suddenly the group jumped with fright, finally detecting the presence of a pale blue haired boy. They all bewilderedly peered down at Kuroko, being much taller than him.

There was a long silence, which Kuroko forced himself to break. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, nice to meet you." the boy greeted with a bow.

"Kuroko Tetsuya? I didn't see your name on the class role?" one boy replied.

"You mean you studied the names!" his friend cried, elbowing his friend's stomach with a bark of laughter.

"Sorry for being rude," the third boy replied, scowling at his friends. "I'm Akio Kimura! And this is Isao Kobayashi and Manbu Nakamura." He said pointing at his two friends. Kuroko nodded his head at each of them. Another pause embedded itself into the interaction, where each boy awkwardly stared at him.

Eagar to keep the dying conversation flowing, Kimura gestured at Kuroko, "So, why did you come to this school Kuroko?"

"I live only a couple of streets away," Kuroko replied in a steady voice, wishing he had more to say on the topic.

"Oh."

The three boys found Kuroko emotionless voice and manner of speaking difficult to connect with in a light-hearted way and quickly reverted back to the previous conversation topic.

"So Kimura?" Nakamura questioned, glancing at his brown-haired companion. "How did your 'mam know about this class being smart?"

"She works at the office at this school. You will probably see her around. Actually she is right there!" Kimura exclaimed pointing at a bespectacled woman conversing to their teacher.

"Did she tell 'ya who got the highest results?" Kobayashi asked curiously.

"No. But she left the document up on her computer while we had dinner, and I snuck a peek while I was coming back from peeing." His two friends snickered at this comment, but remained fixated on the story, their eyes wide with intrigue.

"...Well?" inquired the two boys, pressing their friend for information.

"It was a boy called Akashi Seijuro."

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, but no one understood why.

"Anyone know who he is?" asked Kobayashi. No one recognised anyone by that name, the boys even consulting Kuroko if he knew this boy. He did not.

"Maybe he doesn't live in the area?" one boy suggested.

"What score did he get?"

Kimura frowned slightly, "We all got around sixty percent…"

The three boys leaned in curiously.

"Akashi Seijuro got one hundred percent."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Lunch Alone**

The school bells chime interrupted the loud classroom and ended the boy's conversation. Kuroko walked towards his Mother to say goodbye for the day.

"See you mother." Kuroko murmured quietly.

His mother leaned down and promptly kissed him on the cheek. "Have a great day Tetsuya. I spoke to your teacher and he is very nice. Did you make some friends?" She asked glancing over at Kimura, Kobayashi and Nakamura bidding their own mothers goodbye. Kuroko shrugged his shoulders and his mother gave him a half smile, disproportioning one side of her face.

"Well, see you this afternoon!" She leaned down to tightly hug her son, then proceeding to travel out of the classroom chatting with a woman he did not recognise.

"Hello class! I am your teacher for this year. You may call me Mr Takeda." the elderly man at the front of the room announced.

The first item Kuroko noticed about the teacher was the thin cane within his wrinkled fingers and Kuroko humorously imagining the old man hitting students who misbehaved. Mr Takeda's wrinkled, kind face was framed with his short grey hair and he had a small, dumpy stature.

"You may now select a desk which you will have for the rest of the year."

His new classmates flurried around him like leafs whizzing through an autumn breeze, and Kuroko concluded that he did not know any of them apart from the three boys from earlier. He tried to not let this unfamiliarity bother him, and floated towards a desk near the window. He felt the wooden surface under his fingers, and seated himself onto the erect chair which uncomfortably straightened his back. The window overlooked the prosperous cherry blossom trees and the vast mountains in the distance. Hazy and mysterious.

The blue haired boy looked away from the window and glanced at his new class. Everyone was chatting and laughing, and Kuroko could not help but feel like he was trapped outside their bubble. However, he was not the only one. There was a boy situated at the back, arms crossed and bored expression plastered on his face. It could have been mistaken for a carefree or lazy sort of expression, but what revealed its intent to Kuroko was the superior glint present. The boy had vivid red hair with ghostly pale skin and an immaculate appearance.

"That's Akashi Seijuro." A girl whispered to him noting his gaze.

That name rang a loud bell within his ears, and he remembered that it was the boy Kimura mentioned earlier, who received one hundred percent on the entrance exam. Kuroko showed no visible expression from the girl's comment, but politely replied "Oh. How do you know him?"

"I don't, "the young girl confessed "But I've heard of him. He is the heir to a huge million dollar company! Genius y'know."

Kuroko glanced back at the Akashi in the back row, feeling thankful that he was not noticed regularly. Suddenly her friend from the desk beside her leaned in.

"Mum and Dad told me to stay away from him, you should too." She whispered, cautiously glimpsing back at the boy, however, Akashi noticed and met eyes with the girl.

"Why?" The girl sitting in front of him addressed her friend.

"He's not normal," the girl said simply, then she realised how awful that sounded and attempted to make amends. "Akashi is strange, but very polite and charming… and super intelligent."

"But?"

"Well… I don't know. There is just something really off about him. Doesn't react- -"

She was cut off by the teacher's hushing. "Ok class. I will be marking the role so pay attention."

* * *

Kuroko wandered out of the classroom for lunch. Class had not been as exciting as he had anticipated and already felt himself adapting to the environment. Luckily, his teacher did not notice him and did not ask him to answer any questions.

The small boy looked around awkwardly. He did not know anyone and none of his acquaintances noticed him standing there. He felt lonely being in such a big setting with many people; their large presences dismissed his. So he found a nearby tree and ate his lunch in the peace. Listening to it's rustling leaves and chirping birds for conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- Try doing this**

Kuroko opened the front door to his house and closed it behind him with a huff. He sighted his Mother in the living room ironing while watching a cooking television show, and a glimpse of his father, who was back from work, in the kitchen washing dishes. They instantly perked up at his quiet entrance and rushed towards him. As Kuroko was their only child, they noticed his faint presence keenly. Although his house was quite small, Kuroko liked to think of it has modest and clean.

His Father reached him first, and greeted his son with a hug, lifting the small boy off the ground. "I'm sorry I missed this morning Tetsuya, how was your day?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Careful, you'll crush him!" his mother playfully scolded his Father. When Kuroko's feet were firmly placed on the ground he answered "It was good dad."

"Did you make some new friends? Any girls?" His father teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I made a few friends. Boys and girls." The blue-haired boy answered assertively.

"I made some cookies if you want any," his Mother added leading father and son out of the doorway and into the kitchen.

* * *

Cookie and vanilla shake in hand, Kuroko ploughed his way up the stairs in a beeline to his bedroom. When he arrived, he flopped down on his soft bed with an exasperated sigh.

"So, you didn't make any friends huh?" a voice appeared unexpectedly in his bedroom doorway, almost making the small boy jump. It was his Grandmother, who shared a house with his Mother and Father. Her bedroom was also across from his, allowing them to have become quite close over the years of his life.

"How could you tell?" Kuroko sighed, rubbing his face.

His grandmother gently sat down on his bed, giving it an annoyed look when it creaked under her weight. She looked expectedly at her grandson, her glasses hanging at the end of her nose.

"I think they find me dull." He answered looking down at his green bed sheets. "Like they are uncomfortable speaking with me."

"It's your first day Tetsuya. You just have a different way in displaying your personality. Give them time to learn how to decipher you," she said patting him on the shoulder. "And when they do, you will connect with them."

Kuroko sipped the vanilla shake contemplatively. "You're right Grandmother." He just needed to try harder. Approach them and spend more time with them.

His grandmother grinned at him, standing up and slowly hobbling towards the door. She turned around and added "Also, a trick I learned is to always announce your presence. Don't linger or you'll frighten them off."

Winking, her small body disappeared from his view, leaving the small boy to ponder her words. However, this moment was short lived when he recalled the assigned homework, and pulled out his bag to begin.

* * *

"Homework on the first day is tough." Kimura sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I completed it." Kuroko piped, remembering his Grandmother's words. "Would you like to see my answers?"

"Oh! Thanks Kuroko. You're a real life saver."

"Do you know if Mr Takeda is strict on homework?" asked Nakamura, looking over at Kuroko's answers and comparing it to his.

"He seems lenient," commented Kuroko, forcing himself to commit to the conversation.

"That's just because he's old," laughed Nakamura "Let's hope you're right."

Instantaneously, Kobayashi rushed into class, breathing heavily. Bringing the classes' attention onto himself "Did I make it?" He cried out.

Kimura looked at his watch, "five seconds to spare. Cutting it kind of close."

As if on cue, the bell chimed, signaling everyone to take their seats. Kuroko took his seat by the window, noting the presence of the red headed boy, wearing the same expression as the day before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- The Class Favourite **

Three weeks flew by faster than an arrow and Kuroko could feel himself adjusting to the school environment even faster. Rising early in the mornings and doing homework in the afternoons seemed like second nature to him. These tasks kept him occupied, although he would much rather play with his toys than do school work.

Kuroko still ate lunch alone, but this did not bother him as it first did. It had become a private and peaceful time for him where he could be alone and think; relishing a break from socialising with his boisterous friends. Additionally, Kuroko secretly did not believe the activities the other boys played looked very fun. He had been convinced to join in on one of their hide and seek games and was forgotten; standing behind the large tree for the whole lunch until the bell rang. This caused Kuroko to feel self-conscience of his weak presence. Yet despite this, Kuroko started to grasp Kimura, Kobayashi, and Nakamura's personalities. Unfortunately, they had not grasped his nature yet, something Kuroko hopefully speculated would come from more exposure.

The class had regretfully discovered that although appearing like a kind old man, Mr Takeda was quite strict, especially on homework, and in his friendly and seemingly good hearted lecture, had given Kobayashi and those who hadn't completed it an after school detention.

Mr Takeda had then congratulated the students that completed the homework. _Akashi, Kimura, and Kobayashi _were the three people he knew. Although Kuroko finished the homework, he was used to being forgotten in similar circumstances. And also did not fancy the salty candy handed out by the teacher.

Kuroko watched from the corner of his eye Akashi placidly raise his hand to answer a question. Akashi had quickly gained the respect of the old teacher, always answering the difficult questions flawlessly.

As Kuroko had been warned, the boy was remarkably intelligent. His superior intellect and pool of knowledge was far above the minds of the entire class. It was no secret that the red-headed boy was also rich. He did not flaunt this factor in an imposing way, however, he was dropped off and picked up by a hired chauffer and an expensive car.

Despite the classes initial reluctance to meet Akashi, intelligence, wealth, and influence had drawn the students and teachers to him like a moth to a flame. The girl sitting in front of him had a crush on him (Kuroko overheard). Regardless of the way they talked about him with Kuroko on the first day.

Mr Takeda's lesson about History drew to a close, and the school bell chimed repetitively.

"Oh before I forget." Mr Takeda said. "We will need to vote for class representive, I will choose the candidates from the class ranking." All eyes seemed to fall on the boy at the back. "Those who did not complete the homework, stay back, but everyone else is dismissed."

Did the teacher know Kuroko had completed the homework? He had put it on his desk when class began. But, he did forget to mention that he had completed it in front of class this morning?

Kuroko hesitated before rising to his feet and collected his bag. Why should he be staying here when he did complete it.

Feeling somewhat nervous, Kuroko abused his weak presence by stealthy making his way out. Cautiously glancing at the remaining students, Kuroko's foot connected with the leg of a desk which made a louder noise than it should have.

Mr Takeda curiously looked up from the paper he was reading, eyes landing on Kuroko for the first time. He had not seen the boy and wondered if he was in his class.

"Sorry boy. Did another teacher send you?"

Kobayashi who was watching the exchange laughed heartily. Kuroko's cheeks coloured slightly at the awkward exchange. "I'm in this class…sir." Kuroko mumbled.

The old man looked surprised. "Oh…well…Have you completed your homework?"

"Yes sir."

"Then you may go. Have a good afternoon…umm… ." The teacher did not know his name and did not finish.

Kuroko slid out of the classroom embarrassed. He had never exchanged words with the teacher individually before and was disappointed with himself that it did not turn out well.

The hallways were empty, and Kuroko marvelled at how quickly the school was vacated. The only noise was his footsteps against the polished floors. He made his way to the entrance, put his shoes on and opened the glass door.

The afternoon air was pleasant and cool, there were young children accompanied by their mothers throwing a ball around and Kuroko walked around the building to walk home. He did not notice someone standing alone with a phone pressed at their ear. When he heard the familiar voice, he stopped at the corner of the building.

It was Akashi Seijuro. Kuroko could not stop his curiosity and listened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- ****The Yellow Eye**

"Yes."

That was the word Akashi seemed to repeat on the phone, but a miasma of anger surrounded the boy. The red head's facial expression seemed very calm, but in contrast to this façade, Kuroko could feel the pressure of resentment radiating from Akashi. He had never witnessed the intelligent student no other than a certain politeness he talked to everyone with.

"If you must." His voice was steady and emotionless, much like Kuroko's own.

Wondering who he was conversing with, Kuroko listened closely to the voice in the phone, but could not hear anything but muffled, incomprehensible words. He was tempted to move closer, but did not dare as Kuroko's instinct told him to hold his breath, and keep very still; to which he happily obliged.

Akashi turned slightly towards Kuroko's direction, and he thought the red-head was going to sight him, but thankfully his presence kept him well concealed.

Kuroko could now see Akashi's face...His eye!

One of Akashi's eyes was yellow! A bright piercing colour that contrasted heavily against the dark-red eye of its counterpart. Kuroko could only stare bewildered. Was it a contact?

He dismissed that thought as soon as it arrived, it did not make sense. And Akashi could not have heterochromia because he had the matching red eyes in class.

"Very well." The boy replied, lowering the phone from his ear and staring emptily at the trees in what the blue-headed-listener thought was morbid contemplation. Kuroko backed away slowly, desiring to run away from this odd and frightening situation.

Smack!

Something hard and volatile connected with the back of Kuroko's head, consequently causing the eavesdropper to lose his balance and fall forward.

Kuroko was thrown down to the soft grass, head first. Luckily, catching himself with his arms to avoid contact with his head.

Akashi's head snapped up at him, and pierced him with a penetrating stare. This heated look was quite alarming to Kuroko, who felt defenceless on the ground.

There was silence for a long three seconds, before a child rushed around the corner.

"I'm so sorry!" the young girl gushed, kneeling down to collect the ball within her hands.

She disappeared around the corner as quickly as she came, laughing to her friend.

Kuroko did not know what to do but stare up at Akashi, stomach on the grass. The red-headed boy looked blankly at him back, and there was no recognition in his oddly coloured eyes. Had Akashi never seen him before? It would not be the first time someone had not noticed him, he thought back to Mr Takeda with a wince.

Kuroko could not tear his eyes away at the fading yellow eye, which was turning red like a lava lamp he had seen in the stores. Akashi noticed this and covered his eye gracefully with a swipe of his hand.

The blue-headed boy felt like he had discovered a well-kept secret, and did not know how to act. Shame rose into the blue headed boy like air filling a balloon.

Kuroko rose to his feet as gracefully as possible, for some reason he did not want Akashi to know how embarrassed he felt for discovering his yellow eye and being caught listening to a very serious conversation. He went to apologise but a loud car horn interrupted him, and the two boys turned around to see the expensive car parked at the car park. It's black, sleek design stood out against the inexpensive architecture and automobiles.

Akashi swiftly walked away towards the car, not sparing Kuroko a glance.

Kuroko sighed, trudging through the grass and onto the pathway out of the school, and into the street. Where he walked home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- The Eye Patch**

Kuroko settled himself into his uncomfortable chair at his desk, thinking over what had happened the day before and was dreading the entrance of Akashi. Currently, the boy's desk was empty, which was very unusual. He was normally first in the classroom, studying an advanced textbook or reading an autobiography of some nameless businessman.

Kuroko was thankful he would not have to face the boy yet, and felt somewhat responsible for Akashi's lateness.

The school bell chimed signalling the commencement of school, and through the second ring, Akashi walked in confidently. His eyes snapped instantaneously to Kuroko, who normally went unnoticed. This instantaneous recollection caused Kuroko to become very apprehensive, and he tried to avoid eye contact. Alas, Akashi was wearing an eye patch and this made him stare uncontrollably at the unusual medical item.

Akashi appeared very daunting with a white eye patch strapped to his left eye- the eye that had been yellow! Kuroko concluded with a start.

Akashi noted Kuroko's eyes linger on the eye patch and hardened his stare for a moment, before making his way towards the back. Kuroko kept his emotions clear from his face, but inside he felt intimidated and slightly remorseful.

"Wonder why he has that eye patch, did he get hurt?" the girls sitting in front of him whispered.

"Is he okay?"

Kuroko wondered if the changing of colour in his left eye hurt him? But he had seen it changing back to its original colour. Akashi also did not seem to be in any pain when the yellow was present in his eyes… just really angry. Could intense emotions set it off?

Mr Takeda walked in a moment later, holding a stack of paper in his frail arms.

"Good morning class! I have selected the nominees for the class representative. I will hand out slips of paper with their names on it and you just put a tick next to the person you think would suit the role best." He explained crustily.

It was of no surprise Akashi's name was first on the voting list. Kuroko felt red, piercing eyes on the back of his head but tried to shrug of this attention and concentrated on the slip of paper in his hands.

Akio Kimura's name was on there too, and Kuroko placed a neat tick next to his friend. He would be a good class representative; the blue-haired boy looked over at his friend who was being punched on the shoulder by Nakamura who was seated behind him.

The papers were collected and Mr Takeda vowed he would count them this afternoon so they would have their representative by tomorrow.

The sun was sinking in the sky, turning the blue expanse a gradient orange colour. Kuroko was walking on the concrete path in the direction of his home. It normally a relaxing walk, but his mind was buzzing. Akashi had never kept his eye off him in class, as if he did not want Kuroko to fade away from his view. He was so accustomed to not being seen, when someone saw through this, it was quite obvious and uncomfortable.

The blue-haired boy had got himself into a mess. He should not have listened to Akashi's phone conversation. And the eye patch Akashi wore was a threatening reminder of what he had done, and it put him on edge. He arrived home and tried to forget about his predicament.

Kuroko (and the rest of the class) was not surprised that Akashi received the most votes and was elected class representative. Mr Takeda was very happy, and did not give them any homework.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- What He Has Learned**

Class had begun to become quite challenging for the students. Mr Takeda had started teaching the children difficult mathematics and odd scientific equations. Kuroko was keeping up steadily, but was still relieved that he was not asked to answer questions. There was a test approaching soon and his three friends were beyond nervous, and talked about it regularly.

Akashi had stopped watching him as frequently, much to Kuroko's relief. But it seemed his evasive presence did not work on the boy anymore. Whenever Kuroko stood up or made a movement, he saw Akashi's eyes glance at him before lazily drawing away. He hoped that the intimidating boy had lost interest and would not bother him anymore.

Perhaps after watching him extensively for an entire day, he had seen that Kuroko would not tell anyone about Akashi's odd eye and had deemed him unthreatening.

The class was currently learning mathematics, and Mr Takeda's tedious voice rung through the air like an annoying static sound that you could never shake out of your ears. The class was slowly loosing their attention, the girls in front of Kuroko were passing notes, Nakamura was doodling in his sketchbook and Kuroko was looking out the window. Mildly listening in when important points were covered.

Kuroko was worried for the class, as there was really only one person who was going to pass the upcoming test, that being their class representative; Akashi. He was suburb at every subject, but had a striking ability for math.

Mr Takeda stopped talking, and wrote questions on the blackboard.

"Akashi would you please come up and write the answer to question one on the board." The teacher said, fixing his glasses from falling off his nose.

This was a normal occurrence and Akashi fluidly rose from his seat. When he was close enough for the short-sighted teacher to see, Mr Takeda exclaimed "What happened to your eye!?"

"It's just irritated from some dust." Akashi said while simultaneously completing the answer on the board with neat handwriting.

Kuroko now confirmed it was a regarded secret he had discovered as Akashi had just effortlessly lied to the teacher and in turn the class. Akashi turned his head slightly to furtively peer at Kuroko, who in reply gave him a unyielding look.

The chalk made a scratching noise on the hard surface as Akashi neatly wrote his answer.

"Correct!" The teacher said clapping his hands. "Now, for question two… Um," he paused to select someone.

The whole class held their breath. It was a very difficult question and everyone ducked their head or pretended to write something in their books. Kuroko knew the teacher did not notice him, so did not bother with such precautions.

Akashi 's impassive voice suddenly flittered through the classroom. "My friend Kuroko Tetsuya likes this sort of question." He suggested politely.

Kuroko did not believe what he had just heard. He did not enjoy difficult math, in fact he greatly disliked equations like this. And he did not believe he was Akashi's friend. Was this revenge?

"Ah! Ok." Agreed the teacher, and the students let out a sigh of relief that Akashi had saved them for answering this unfamiliar question, however everyone's eyes settled on the boy they had seen only a couple of times. Kuroko's three friends grimaced at the situation, yet were glad they did not have to present their answer in front of the class.

Kuroko gulped, his face warmed significantly, which caused his skin to catch alight with a deep red colour. He had never had this many eyes on him before. Not ever in his life.

He arose from his seat, almost tripping over the chair's leg. Akashi was clandestinely looking at him, feigning a polite innocence, but Kuroko barely registered it, too focussed on the classes stare.

Akashi dropped the chalk into his hands and Kuroko tried to keep his expression steady; although his red cheeks confirmed his embarrassment.

Kuroko wrote the answer, his hands shaking nervously. His messy writing was a pitiful sight in comparison Akashi's neat writing. Kuroko's was bigger than usual and on a heavy slant. But, Kuroko was confident in his answer.

He was back in his seat and in the shadows as quickly as possible.

Mr Takeda squinted at Kuroko's nervous writing, then looked down at the answers. "That is correct!"

Relief washed through him like a rushing waterfall. It would have been very humiliating to have miscalculated in front of the class.

He had thankfully slipped out of the students minds by lunch and when Kuroko was following everyone out of the classroom. He was accidently tripped by Nakamura.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see 'ya there!"

"That is okay." Replied Kuroko.

"Hey! I didn't know you and Akashi were friends," Nakamura said surprisingly, remembering back to the morning.

Kuroko was faced with a peculiar situation, he did not want to demote Akashi, but he did not agree with lying... especially to his friend.

"I have not ever spoken to him." Kuroko told truthfully.

Then it all clicked. Akashi must have noted that he did not value attention and purposely put him in that situation. Akashi had lied to the class and teacher in order to achieve this.

"Oh." Nakamura said.

The question that lingered in Kuroko's mind was _What should he do now?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Proving Himself**

That night was cold and silent as the inhabitants of the town slumbered. Kuroko, however was very much awake, his blue eyes were long adjusted to the deep blackness of his room, and had rested absentmindedly on the white ceiling.

'What should I do?' Was the question that replayed in his mind with the repetitiveness of a broken car's engine attempting to ignite to live.  
Kuroko knew he did not want to do nothing, which was what he brain was telling him was the most intelligent option. He desired to react to the terrifying situation his classmate had put him in. Revenge was something he was not interested in, and he had never stood up for himself before in his life. But he had a urge to prove something, especially to Akashi, who had not been challenged in the class yet. He challenged others, yet they ran scared.  
Kuroko could not possibly match Akashi equally. He was invisible, a nobody. While Akashi drew respected attention towards himself in an authoritative manner.

Kuroko was no opposition to Akashi directly on the battle field. But, He was a shadow; and working behind the scenes was his speciality.

A plan surged in his mind like fireworks flashing with colour and light.  
Kuroko sat up in his bed, flicking on the lamp on his bedside table. The clock read 12:34pm but he did not feel tired.  
His textbook was laying innocently on the wooden floor and he leaned over to grab it.  
Kuroko flipped through the thick book to the test revision page, and greedily sucked in the information. He had three days to ace the test; and this was his reaction.

* * *

The second night of studying was proving to be harder than the first. Staying up until sunrise the previous night and staying awake the entire day exhausted a six year old far more than he had been before. His mother would scold his actions with a disapproving frown if she knew about how late he stayed awake, but passing the upcoming test with flying colours was something he wanted enough to let a few nights of sleep slide.

Beating Akashi was the ultimate goal, but matching the genius would be plenty for Kuroko to prove what he wished to.  
He had two days left, the night after tonight; he would have an early night to prepare his energy for the exam.  
The blue-headed boy stuffed blankets under the door crack to conceal the lamps light, and got to work revising the complicated equations. The moon was bright and full, the only sounds which flittered through the air were cars on the distant highway, and dogs barking. Kuroko dropped to a dead sleep at 4am, not able to keep his eyes open any longer, and revelled in the few hours of slumber.

His mother woke him up at 7am, he had been using his textbook has a pillow, and only discovered in the morning it was not a comfortable substitute.  
In a zombie-like fashion, Kuroko dragged himself to school. Two sleepless nights left him tired beyond what he had ever been before. The morning light, although dim, blinded him with as much intensity as the sun at midday.  
Kuroko managed (with great difficultly) to stay awake during class, but his body desperately craved sleep.

* * *

Something nudged him hard. Kuroko sighed placidly, ignoring the annoying, unknown thing and continued his presence in a dazed world. He could hear the sound of the wind rushing through the tree leaves around him, and the pleasant chirping of birds. These sounds temped to succumb to the blissful place he had previously been.

What?

The reality of the situation was like a bucket of ice cold water, thrown onto him unexpectedly.

Kuroko shot up in a second, his sleepy mind trying to process what was happening.  
He was lying uncomfortably under his tree where he ate his lunch. He had fallen to sleep on top of its roots, causing him to have a bad crick in his back.  
He sleepily gazed up at the figure peering down at him, and his mind took too long to process who it was.

"Class has begun, and it is the class representative's responsibility to ensure everyone is present after lunch"  
Kuroko's cheeks coloured embarrassedly at being caught sleeping, and by Akashi no less. He was normally a very light sleeper, and he decided to never stay up all night ever again.

The small boy arose silently, and ran his hand through his thin blue hair to clear the twigs and leaves nested within the strands. He waited patiently for the red headed boy to lead the way.

"Sleep is a fundamental element for learning and functioning. It is important at your age to have at least nine hours of sleep every night."  
He spoke to Kuroko in a demeaning and lazy sort of way; as if speaking to someone much younger than him.

"I am aware." Replied Kuroko politely "Thank you for your consideration."

Akashi appeared disinterested at best, and Kuroko knew he had lost complete interest in him.  
When they returned to the classroom, Kuroko was not surprised to discover no one had noticed his absence and he was sure he could have slept the entire lesson under his tree without anyone the wiser. Akashi had assuredly adapted to his faint presence exceptionally better than anyone he had ever met, and the thought of this made him uncertain in a childish sort of way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - The Exam**

"I think I'm going to fail this." Whispered Kobayashi to the group as they gathered at the desks before class begun. A moderate breeze swept through the classroom, whistling through the agar windows in an annoying fashion.  
"Me too." Admitted Nakamura "I didn't even study."

"I feel like I have prepared sufficiently." Said Kuroko, feeling guilty about admitting this fact in front of his nervous friends, but wanting to be registered as a part of the friendship group and conversation.  
"This stuff is way too hard for us!" Exclaimed Kobayashi pointing at the revision paper Kuroko recognised instantly from his exhausting study.  
It seemed like none of his friends had heard him, though it was a normal occurrence.

Mr Takeda walked into the classroom leisurely, a large stack of paper in his frail bony arms.  
It's a wonder he can hold such a large stack, thought Kuroko as he studied the test papers.

This is it. He sternly told himself.

Did he really want to do this? He had successfully lost the attention of Akashi over the past few days; did he want to gain the tiresome presence back by challenging the class representative?  
Kuroko extinguished these doubts with one clandestine peer at Akashi at the back. The boy did not have his eye patch on anymore, yet the bored, eerie expression plastered on his face reminded the blue-haired boy why he must do this.  
He had to do something, because no one else was going to.  
The test paper landed on his desk gracefully.

"You may begin."

* * *

"I am so disappointed in your results on the exam," Mr Takeda sighed with a heavy shake of his head.  
The class looked apprehensively at one another and the silence was unusual.

"I have marked the papers, and it is clear you didn't revise for this." The elderly man's eyes swept the students accusingly before consulted the results sheet in his small hands, appearing perplexed , lifting it close to his eyes like a collector appraising a vintage painting.  
Kuroko peeked back at the red-head at the back, and sighed silently when his expression was full of confidence.  
"There was one person in this class that received full marks. One person. In the whole class!"  
Kuroko swallowed thickly. Did he not achieve top marks? Were his nights of study for naught?

It was either him or Akashi.

The teacher ran his finger down the names. "And that was Akashi Seijuro."

Kuroko felt cold disappointment drop through him like an icy thin waterfall, dribbling through his body.

"Wait a minute," the teacher took a double look at the paper. "Two people who got full marks. Akashi and... K-Kuroko Tetsuya " The teacher stumbled on his name, not quite processing it.

The whole class went silent. They all seemed to stare at him with eyes in the back of their head.  
Kuroko felt the suffocating red glare on the back of his neck, and his thin hair stood on end.

Kuroko did not meet the glare, forced his blue eyes to stay focussed on the teacher. He felt so good. An emotion he has never felt before rushed through his veins... Pride? Accomplishment? He did not know, what he did know that he openly met a genius on the battlefield, a genius who had punished him for eavesdropping on a phone call. A genius who looked down on him, spoke to him like a child.  
Kobayashi gave him a toothy smile from the other side of the room, sticking his thumbs up. Kuroko felt his skin stretch at the smile he returned; rising one thumb to his friend.

The red stare didn't leave him the entire day.

* * *

"I can't believe you got top marks Tetsuya!" Exclaimed his mother excitedly; hugging her son tightly. The small house groaned with his bouncing mother on the second story.  
"I can't comprehend these questions; you are such a smart child... You definitely got my genes."  
"Oi!" His father grunted.  
"Thank you mother." Kuroko replied. High-fiving his Father's outstretched hand.

"Good job Tetsuya." A course voice flittered through the air.

All the family jumped with fright.  
"Ma! We didn't see you there!" His mother cried, hand on her heart and peering at the hunched old woman.

"Thank you Ma." Kuroko said, smiling shyly at her.

"Let's have a great dinner in celebration. We can have ice cream for dessert!" Exclaimed his father, heading towards the kitchen to cook dinner. His Mother gave Kuroko a cheeky grin and followed her husband in.

"So you did some all-nighters to ace the exam? Doesn't sound like you."  
His grandmother whispered slyly in his ear, keeping a steady familiar expression on her prune-like face.

"I wanted to pass the exam with top marks." Replied Kuroko airily, knowing he could not hide anything from the old woman.

"Why?"

Kuroko paused at this, wondering what he should say.

"Because I wanted to... Prove something?" He didn't really know himself.

"Prove what?" His grandmother asked, looking into his eyes with intelligent matching blue irises.

"I don't know grandma. I guess I wanted to prove to one of my classmates... That... -"

"Kuroko could you please come here. We need your help!" Whined his mother from the kitchen, as a clutter of pans was heard.

He gave his grandmother a slight smile before entering the kitchen to aid with dinner.

He did not really know what he was going to say.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- Assigned Friends**

"Okay class! I know you didn't do very well on the previous test. That is why you need to do well on this assignment."

They were in the dusty classroom again, a week after the exam. Kuroko's prime window seat offered a spectacular view of the sky, tinted a brilliant shade of vermillion, as the afternoon sun peeked brightly over the mountains. They were discussing their upcoming assignment about ancient civilisations.

Kuroko had felt Akashi's eyes on him consistency. The deep red colour was intense and the pressure was insurmountable, making Kuroko's stomach churn uncomfortably. It was unnerving, being constantly watched when normally no one spared a glance. Although it paled in comparison to the sheer terror of every eye in the class on him. Kuroko's pale face still burned when he thought of that horrible moment.

What was worse is how respected and noticed Akashi was; he had gained the solid admiration of the teachers and students. The whole class seemed to adore him, but not Kuroko. It seemed like he was the only person who seemed to register the ever-present eerie expression plastered on his porcelain face . And since the incident with Akashi's eye and having to endure humiliation; Kuroko believed he was on the boy's bad side.

A couple of days ago, Kuroko had seen the class representative approach his three friends. This interaction had made Kuroko uneasy, and he hoped it was for the sole purpose of Akashi's class representative position.

"This project will be done in pairs," Mr Takeda's voice droned through his thoughts.  
The class began chatting instantly, pointing at friends and organising groups amongst themselves.

"Ah! I will be choosing the groups!" assured the teacher.

The class groaned loudly.  
"Don't worry though, I have tried to pair friends-"  
The class cheered.  
"-that work well together and have are at the same level."

Kuroko hoped he would be paired with Kimura. He seemed about his level and was additionally his friend. He seemed hardworking and the assignment could be done successfully with them working together. His other two friends would be great also, they were really his only companions and hoped Mr Takeda had noticed their friendship and would pair him with one of them.  
He was very glad four could be divisible by two, otherwise he would probably be paired with someone he did not necessarily know, this was a real possibility considering the scarce number of friends he had could be counted on one hand.

Kuroko took a cautious glance backwards at Akashi. He felt sorry for whoever was paired with the class representative. He imagined the red head would be imposing and dominating, especially with a school-related assignment.  
Akashi met his gaze instantly, vivid red meeting pastel blue and the opposite colours clashed like two combatants on a warzone. Kuroko inwardly sighed, remembering to make a careful internal note that his weak presence did not bypass Akashi.

Kuroko looked away first, breaking the odd staring contest and preferring to eye the blackboard instead.  
The bell chimed on time, signalling the end of the school day.

"We will start working on the assignments tomorrow." The teacher finished. "The sheet with the group pairs will be at the front if you want to have a look before you leave. Have a good afternoon. You are dismissed."

The class bustled around, speedily escaping the classroom. Kuroko did not enjoy rushing, and neatly organised his books in his bag.  
His observed his three friends run up to the front first, similar to a stampede of buffalos in Africa, roughly pushing the class aside to see who they were paired with for the assignment. They looked pretty happy, two high-giving each other.

The classroom cleared quickly, and when the majority had left, Kuroko curiously wandered to the list himself. Finding his name easily, he felt his eyes widen at his new partner.

Akashi Seijuro.

Feeling the red eyes prickle the back of his neck like little stinging bees attacking his skin, he gulped silently and slowly made his way out of the room where he would be sheltered from the gaze.

He could not process the information.  
Why did the teacher put us together? Did he not realise that we both do not like each other? He mentioned he would be putting friends together? So why did he...

Oh.

When Akashi mentioned that they were friends in front of the class. The lie the class representative told the teacher effortlessly. Mr Takeda adored the boy and probably did not realise Kuroko's uncomfortableness and anxiety. The teacher did not even register he was in his class, so why did Kuroko even consider the teacher would know who his friends were.

The walk home was solemn, and he was dreading the next day.

* * *

The weather seemed to agree with Kuroko's mood, and the sky was splodged with differing tones of grey. A misty spray sprinkled water onto the small town and fogged up the windows.

The television was turned on, and the young boy watched absentmindedly as he nibbled on his toast. "Tetsuya dear, are you sure you don't want your Father to drive you to school?" His mother questioned, poking her head from the kitchen.

The Kuroko family only had one car, and his Father drove it to work every morning. Unfortunately, the school was not in the direction and a detour had to be made.

"It is okay Mother" replied Kuroko evenly. "School is only minutes away on foot and the rain is not heavy." Kuroko glanced from the television to fix his Mother with a small smile. "The weather woman says it will clear up."

"If you're sure honey?" His mother said reluctantly, and the head disappeared back around the corner.

"Good Morning Tetsuya." His grandmother greeted, hobbling down the stairs with a firm grip on the handrail.

"Good Morning Grandmother," Kuroko replied, giving her a warm smile.

"Goodness boy! Is that all you are going to eat?" she asked.

Kuroko did not have an appetite, and did not feel like finishing his breakfast. But nevertheless he shovelled the bread into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp; almost choking on the lump of poorly chewed bread.

He leaned down to kiss his Grandmother who had seated herself on the drab flannelette couch and was pressing the remote to change the channel to her favourite game show.

"Goodbye Mother and Father!" Kuroko toned, grasping the doorknob and opening the squeaky door. He stared at the cloudy weather as if it would solve his upcoming problem. Taking a gulp of the air heavy with moisture, the boy stepped into the misty rain.

At first it was quite refreshing, but the fine spray soon dampened his clothes and the soft breeze made his teeth clatter with a frosty chill.

Kuroko swiftly pulled out his umbrella which sheltered him from the mist and continued down the cracked footpath.

Silence settled like a thick blanket over Kuroko, and provided the boy with the rare time to truly reflect on what happened and what is soon to come.

He concluded that the next few weeks working with Akashi was going to be dreadful and mirthless. In all honesty, he was uncertain on how he would exchange with the class representative. Pleasantries were vital on working on an assignment and they had to work together to finish it. After what happened with him eavesdropping on Akashi's phone conversation, and the boy humiliating him in vengeance, it certainly established a difficult and awkward situation.

Was he scared to face Akashi? The boy did advocate an atmosphere of ruthlessness, and Akashi seemed to hate him since he witnessed the mysterious yellow eye.

Kuroko felt his eyebrows furrow as he thought back to the volcanic transformation. It alarmed him that he suspected he had witnessed something much more significant than the just the changing of an eye colour.

He gulped silently when the school came into view, and he readied himself for the upcoming day by taking a slow and deep breath.

When Kuroko entered the classroom, he felt the customary eyes on him. They seemed to be watching emotionlessly, like a scientist observing a test rat scurrying through a maze in hopes to stumble across the cheese. The gaze was ever-present, but Kuroko ignored it; round blue eyes fixed on the ground as if it was the most interesting thing, in an obvious attempt to avoid making eye contact. He felt the stare lazily track his route to meet his boisterous friends.

They did not notice him standing there, and suddenly the bored gaze grew amused, and the emotion hammered the side of his face.

Wishing his friends would notice him to prove Akashi wrong, he knew it was futile and sighed silently before butting into their conversation.

"What ancient civilisations are you guys thinking about doing for the assignment?"

When they jumped in fright, the fascinated gaze focused on him with a smugness Kuroko was finding hard to ignore.

"Sorry." He apologised, wishing he announced his presence sooner.

"Don't sweat it Kuroko!" Kobayashi laughed, slapping him on the back. The action sent of jolt of pain through Kuroko's back, but he hid his hurt with a smile.

"Kobayashi and I are thinking about doing ancient China." Kimura added, high fiving his friend. Kuroko noticed Nakamura's flicker of disappointment in his eyes, and he detected the blue-headed boys worried glance, laughing nervously. "I wonder why Mr Takeda didn't put us together Kuroko? Who are you with?"

"I was assigned Akashi." Kuroko supplied uncomfortably, giving the boy a nervous glance.

"Seriously?!You've got it ten times worse than me!"

"Least you'll get full marks Kuroko!" Kobayashi giggled behind his hand.

There was a momentary pause where the three boys looked at each other nervously.

"He asked about you the other day." Kimura whispered guilty, looking back at the class representative who was reading a book alone. Kuroko had a suspicion the boy could hear the entirety of their conversation and was feigning innocence.

"What did he ask- -" Kuroko began quietly before one of the boys elbowed him as a clearing throat was heard.

This unexpected figure startled the group as if they were sailors planning mutiny behind the captain's back. It was their teacher, old and frail, and looking at them disapprovingly.

Mr Takeda tapped his cane on the floor. "Now boys, find your partners, we will get stuck into our assignments."

* * *

Thank you for your wonderful reviews, they inspire me immensely.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10- The Interrogation**

The group of boys dispatched swiftly, Kobayashi and Kimura stiffly walked to a table together while Kuroko and Nakamura plod into the other direction. The other boy gave him a nervous expression and tensely pat Kuroko on the back as if to say 'good luck' and then headed over to a bespectacled classmate and sat down glumly eyeing his two friends enviously.

Kuroko was very hesitant to move from his position to the back of the classroom where Akashi was surely sitting, as if an invisible force was locking his legs into place. However, seeing that he was close to being the last one standing, and fearful of the attention he might gain, the boy quickly headed over to the desk and plopped himself onto the chair, peering at the students to reassure that no notice had been brought unto him.

Luckily, there were some latecomers and during their entrance no one had detected his hasty scramble to be out of the spotlight. Except for one student.

The red headed boy across from him arched an eyebrow at Kuroko, who met the gaze reluctantly. The desk had an array of books about a number of civilisations that the students could study. Kuroko was tempted to grab one and distract himself, but he refused to look away from Akashi.

When the chatter of the busy students researching their assignments engulfed them, Kuroko desired to start the project so he could be out of Akashi's presence as quickly as possible. First of all, what civilisation were they going to do? Kuroko could name of few, but only knew small and uncorrelated facts. Perhaps Akashi had one in mind?

Swallowing timidly, Kuroko decided to voice his question to his new partner, however when he did, Akashi soft voice spoke simultaneously. Their voices clumsily overlapped each other, and the pair ceased talking immediately.  
Kuroko went to apologise but it was lost on his tongue and an uncomfortable silence settled into the air. Akashi hummed quietly, gracefully leaning his head on his hand. Kuroko could not interpret his expression, but it appeared eerie and ominous.

"What is the nature of your weak presence?" The red-headed boy asked levelly, cocking his head to one side as he examined the boy sitting in front of him.

Kuroko did not know what to say. He expected they would start discussing their assignment and did not desire to speak with Akashi about a topic as personal and unprofessional. Although, Kuroko knew he did not have the ability to tactfully change the subject, and he simply could not decline answering the question. The dominating demeanour of the red-headed boy forced his voice to comply. However, he did not know what to say. His weak presence? No one had ever addressed his presence so upfront, or asked the nature of it. Kuroko recognised that his presence was indeed feeble, but it was not something distinct, just a part of him. How could he answer this question? Was there really a conclusive response?

There was a momentary pause as Kuroko fumbled with his words in attempts to articulate a reply.

"I am unsure of what you wish to know. It is difficult to verbalise something as abstruse as the presence of someone."

Akashi's expression remained unchanged at his response.  
"Has it always been like that?" The class representative patiently questioned further.  
Kuroko concluded it was more overwhelming to have Akashi wholly concentrating on him rather than just his eyes from a distance.

Memories from his early childhood dashed through his mind, and he nodded slowly, feeling as if he was a criminal being interrogated by the police.

Akashi seemed to be in thought, staring squarely at Kuroko, but red eyes distant. Similar to the way he appeared after his phone call ended when Kuroko listened in, albeit much more curious than angry. Kuroko took this opportunity to drop his eyes from Akashi and examine the table instead. He desired to question the class representative about his temporary yellow eye, but knew it would be a death wish.

"How many people can effectively detect you?" Akashi asked snapping out of his trance-like thought.

Kuroko thought of his grandmother, and how she always seemed to know if something was troubling him. There were a few times he could startle her, but she scared him many more times than he did her.

"My Grandmother." Kuroko said, not enjoying discussing his personal life with this controlling boy but feeling pressured to do so.

Kuroko then thought of another person that could detect him flawlessly. As much as he hated to admit it, Akashi had become so adept at sensing him that it outrivalled anyone he had encountered; including his family. This revelation caused him to feel tense and restless as he stared fixatedly on the table. The controlling atmosphere urged his voice to continue.

"And- -" the rest of the confession would not come out of his mouth, but with a glance up at Akashi it was obvious he did not need to finish, because the boys eerie and pale complexion had morphed into a satisfied smirk. It appeared misplaced, and it did not reach his eyes, but the expression allowed shame to boil through Kuroko.

If he was younger, someone that could notice him effortlessly would have made him gleeful beyond reason, but presently, it caused him to feel insecure and bitter, as if he had consumed a handful of coffee beans.

Mr Takeda, who had been patrolling the classroom and checking on pairs work, now stumbled over to their table, leaning on his cane for support which clacked at the ground.

"I see you boys are enjoying yourself." The teacher grinned, concluding this by one look at their closed books and lack of activity.  
"Quite Sir," replied Akashi.

"But just because you received top marks on the exam does not mean you can slack off!" Mr Takeda chuckled with a wink.

"We would never Mr Takeda." Akashi exclaimed with a winning smile.

Kuroko observed the boys graceful deceitfulness and his impeccable façade with sore admiration.

"Well then, what ancient civilisation are you doing and what have you discovered?" the teacher asked, looking at Akashi straight through Kuroko as if he were transparent.

Kuroko prepared to be scolded by the teacher from their lack of work, but Akashi coolly presented a flawless answer.

"We are studying Ancient Rome. We have uncovered that it was established by a group of villagers uniting together to form a city at around 750 BC. It was ruled by kings for 200 years before becoming a republic nation, possessing a senate who selected leaders to control the government and military. This republic ended when Julius Caesar came to power and dictated the empire. The nation was defeated years later by a barbarian attack."

Kuroko could not believe the information Akashi had stored in his brain, his intelligence was as remarkable as demonstrated in class. However, after the initial unexpectedness wore off, Kuroko felt very guilty when the teacher replied.

"I did not expect anything less of you Akashi! Great work! I am excited to see your assignment." The old man then travelled to the next desk of students. There was a pause where Kuroko began to feel guilt slide through him.

"You should not lie to the teacher Akashi." Kuroko told Akashi steadily, meeting his red eyes with his blue ones, and attempting to sit up straighter in his seat. The chairs were seemingly not made for comfort, and Kuroko idly wondered how Akashi sat so properly in the unpleasant wooden seats.

Akashi peered at him curiously, eyes examining his face and hair, he settled his pale arms onto the wooden desk, seeming to conclude something.

"Then we had better get started. Tetsuya."

The unfamiliar and personal use of his first name left him uncomfortably staring at the class representative, who had picked up a book, and turned the pages with delicate fingers. His bored eyes travelling and absorbing the text. Kuroko reached over and grabbed a book, flipping to the contents page and locating Ancient Rome.

At least Kuroko had received an answer to his question.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Paper Airplanes**

The misty rain continued steadily and the heavy fog erased the distant mountains and nearby buildings with a thick white sheet. The moisture clung to the classroom windows, providing a perfect canvas for the students sitting near to draw stick people and smiley faces onto the foggy glass with their fingers.

"It's lunch time class! You may go elsewhere but I encourage you to stay in the classroom as it is rather wet outside." The teacher said, rising from his seat with difficulty, and heading towards the door to go to the staffroom.  
Mr Takeda probably did not register that he was leaving the children unsupervised, but the elderly man appeared concerned and eager to go.  
Kuroko wondered what was wrong with Mr Takeda, and watched him leave with concern.

The students did not require any more encouragement before hastily arising from their seats and chatting noisily, volume increasing drastically.

Akashi closed the book on Rome, and settled down his pen he had been taking notes with. The page was full of neat elegant writing, making Kuroko's cramped notes appear unsightly in comparison.

The pale-blue headed boy took one look at the messy desk, and began to stack the scattered books into an arranged pile. He reached over to the book Akashi had been reading but it was too far away for his fingers to reach. Kuroko extended his arm to its full length, but the tips of his fingers only grazed the brightly coloured cover.

Akashi tentatively picked up the book and offered it to him, to which he accepted with a quiet thank you.

The classroom was becoming rowdy and loud, drawing Kuroko and Akashi's eyes towards a particularly noisy disruption.

Kuroko's three boisterous friends were laughing and propelling paper airplanes into the air. The planes went gliding through the sky like majestic birds, however unceremoniously colliding with innocent students' heads on their descent. The discarded planes were then forgotten; allowing bits of paper to be strewn untidily throughout the room.

Kuroko went to stand up with the intent to clean the papers, and hopefully advise the boys to be more careful about hitting people with their origami planes, however a strong stern voice told him otherwise.

"Sit." Akashi ordered, and the timid boy complied instinctively, curiously looking up Akashi who rose elegantly from his chair. "Stay here." The red-headed boy added, although it sounded just as commanding.

After pushing his chair in, the class representative strolled over to Kuroko's three friends, whose chuckling died down when they sighted his approach.

"Cease that childish behaviour and clean up your mess."

Kuroko desired to attempt to sort the situation out more diplomatically, but Akashi's demand stuck his body to the chair like glue. His three friends gaped at Akashi in a stunned silence.

The class representative remained composed at the silence, standing there, arms crossed, and awaiting action.

Kimura appeared remorseful, but Nakamura and Kobayashi expressive faces displayed a mixture of anger, annoyance, and embarrassment. Kuroko hoped they would not lash out and cause trouble.

"Why? We were just playing!" Nakamura claimed defensively, standing his tallest as to try gain authority.  
"Yeah! We don't have to listen to you." Kobayashi supplied stubbornly.

The chatter of the class stopped abruptly and each member stared curiously at the display.  
Kuroko was relieved that he heeded Akashi's words, remembering the horrible feeling of the class' attention on him vividly. However, he worried for his friends and the situation.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Akashi drawled threateningly.

Kuroko thought for sure the two boys would defy the class representative again, judging by their unyielding expressions, but something miraculous happened.

The three boys submitted to Akashi began to clean up the paper they had thrown on the floor. Akashi stared down at them as if they were tiny insects that he could crush with his feet.

The class lost interest in the battle won by the obvious victor, and whispered amongst each other nervously.

However, if Kuroko had not spent time with Kimura, Kobayashi, and Nakamura, he would not have detected the twinge of fear in their eyes as they scooped up the origami planes.

When they had finished and dumped their load in the recycling bin. Akashi ambled back to the table, and sat down. His red eyes pierced into Kuroko as he remarked:

"You have a horrible taste in friends."

Kuroko took a glance back at his three companions, now sitting together quietly conversing to each other. They did forget about him frequently, but he could hardly blame them. Everyone forgot about him. Nakamura, Kimura, and Kobayashi had been very nice to him, if he did not befriend them, he would have nobody.

"Please do not say that Akashi. They are very nice, and have been good friends to me."

Akashi scoffed, obviously not believing his words. His red eyes then focused on a figure behind Kuroko. He curiously followed Akashi's gaze, turning his shoulders to focus on the boy.

There Kuroko was basked in the looming shadow of Nakamura, who stood behind him and glared down at Akashi. Kuroko held his breath, knowing a disagreement was about to occur.

However, he jumped in fright when Nakamura slapped his clammy hand onto Kuroko's arm and pulled the smaller boy from his seat with relative ease, towing him away from Akashi.  
"Just because he is your partner, doesn't mean you have to sit with him." Muttered the boy, leading Kuroko over to the group of whispering friends.

Kuroko felt a warmth rush through him, at last one of his friends had remembered his existence, perhaps soon, all three boys will adjust. He assumed that Nakamura's split from the his two friends had made him more aware of Kuroko's presence and this caused a small smile to slide onto Kuroko's face as he allowed himself to be pulled over to them.

"Did you see him!?" Kobayashi harshly whispered. "He thinks he is better than all of us. Thinks he can boss us around like we're animals!"

"I knew there was something wrong with him when we saw his name on the sheet. I don't like him, not one bit." Nakamura added in bitterly, clenching his fists.  
It did not feel right to discuss his assignment partner negatively, so Kuroko remained silent during their rant.

"What was it like working with him?" Nakamura asked hastily, studying his blue companion's face hoping the boy would reveal something.

Kuroko frowned and looked at the ground. What was it like working with Akashi? It was not very pleasant but his Mother taught him that talking about people behind their back was wrong. He had to say something though, the three boys were looking at him so expectantly.

"It was quiet." Kuroko answered. "We got a lot of work done."

"Wait a minute!" Kobayashi exclaimed suddenly. "You're his partner. That means you could help us get revenge."

"Revenge? Who said anything about revenge!?" Kimura whispered harshly.

"It will be a practical joke," explained Kobayashi. "You in Kuroko?"

Kuroko seriously did not want any part of this plan. Not only did it sound mean, but it involved the scariest member in the class. If they were caught, he would have to face Akashi's wrath within their assignment. The boy already seemed to hate him, and he did not want the boy to dislike him more, especially when Akashi could use his skill to embarrass Kuroko whenever he pleased.

The three boys noted his silence. "Come on Kuroko! It won't be bad! We won't get caught either." Kobayashi said with a wink.

Kuroko gulped, looking up at Kobayashi, Kimura and Nakamura. They appeared expectant and inspired. Kuroko knew it was terribly mean and wrong, but would this make the boys enjoy his company more?

"I do not think it is a good idea," decided Kuroko, glancing apologetically at his friends, hoping that would not reject his friendship. They huffed in disappointment, but Kimura seemed slightly relieved.

The red eyes observed like untiring surveillance cameras, absorbing every movement.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- Unsolved Mysteries **

Lunch break could not last forever; and Kuroko found himself back in the hard chair, facing a particularly unpleasant boy. The jovial mood of his previous interaction was devoured by the edgy and unnerving atmosphere he experienced with Akashi.

Kuroko could hear the ticking of the clock within his mind as he uninterestedly copied notes from the books. He was gradually discovering the cruel environment of Rome as he read copious amounts of information on the Colosseum and the gruesome battles which occurred there, and wondered why most ancient civilisations were like this. His neck ached from his unnaturally hunched position over the book, and seeing that Akashi did not appear to be in any discomfort for his faultless posture protected him from such pain; Kuroko straightened his spine to mimic the class representative's posture. However, painfully realised how uncomfortable it was. Akashi's impeccable position was amazing in itself, and allowed the sturdy wooden chair to appear as if it were a cushiony throne, constructed and embellished with the finest materials. Akashi's lurid red eyes appeared like glittery rubies on an expensive ring, which concealed small needles coated in poison, prepared to inject at any threat. They whizzed over the book like a computer; scanning the material with an efficient urgency. Kuroko curiously wondered how fast the boy could read, and what kind of information was stored securely within Akashi's mind.

Mr Takeda was patrolling the classroom with steady steps, which seemed to coincide with Kuroko's inner clock. The squeaky footsteps and the ticking combined to create an echoed and lethargic presence of time.

The footsteps became louder as the teacher approached their table, and his wrinkled eyes gleefully appraised Akashi's work, reading the numerous neat notes over the red head's shoulder.  
"You seem to have the most progress out of everyone in the class," he claimed proudly, louder than usual, then his face light up as he remembered something.  
"Say, could you and your partner do me a favour?" asked Mr Takeda, "it won't take long; I promised another teacher I would photocopy some papers for the teacher conference..."

"Certainly sir." Akashi answered smoothly, rising fluidly from his throne.  
Kuroko discarded his book neatly on the table before following suite; glad of the distraction from studying Rome's gruesome entertainment.

They followed Mr Takeda to his shabby wooden desk where he pulled out drawers and messily rustled through countless papers before retrieving the sheets, after shoving them into Akashi's arms he dismissed them hurriedly to attend a group of misbehaving students.

Kuroko felt an odd sense of insecurity as he followed Akashi down the corridor in silence; the tapping sound of their unaligned footsteps on the polished floor rung through the air.

The photocopier room was a messy, dusty room with scattered papers everywhere that Kuroko desired to tidy. The machine was bulky, old fashioned and quite difficult to operate. Mr Takeda had asked the students many times to photocopy papers that they were very accustomed to operating the machine. The lid made a creaky sound as Kuroko lifted it while Akashi placed the first paper inside.

It made a horrible, wheezy noise, probably a result of his three friends photocopying their bottoms when they were assigned the role of photocopying various papers from Mr Takeda at the beginning of the year. After a final lurch, it began scanning the paper in a snail-like pace.

Kuroko felt the silence more than ever now, and it consumed him like maggots eating rotten meat. They had quite a large amount of copying to do, and with the slow scanner, they would be here for a while.

He still felt the red lazy eye on him, so he knew the class representative had not forgotten about him, yet Akashi did not seem remotely affected by the silence, and did not make any move to initiate conversation, preferring to just observe him like a scientist eyeing a rat.

Perhaps this assignment would be easier if they were some semblance of acquaintances, Kuroko concluded hesitantly, and with his grandmother's advice in the forefront of his mind, he opened his mouth to voice something... Yet he could not think of anything.  
Kuroko racked his brain, dusted the nooks and crannies to find anything to pipe up a conversation. He could ask him about his eye? Or the eye patch? Or the phone call? Or what he discussed with his friends? But Kuroko blurted out something incredibly irrelevant and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Do you live around this area?"

Akashi looked as if he wanted to chuckle, but kept a smirk visible on his face. It was like he had read Kuroko's thought process, and found humour how unnerved the boy was.

Kuroko felt the back of his neck warm, but constrained any embarrassment from leaking onto his expression.

"I live across the highway." Akashi replied.

Kuroko wanted to slap himself, Akashi was driven to school every day. The highway was a bridge that separated their small suburb from the wealthier houses and the city.

The scanner rang, so Kuroko lifted the lid, and Akashi replaced the paper. The photocopier made another creaking noise before processing the page. There was another silence, where Kuroko contemplating quitting the pursuit of conversation, before Akashi's silky voice flittered through the damp air like poisonous butterflies.

"You live only a couple of streets away correct?"

As if on cue, the mist transformed into rain, which pattered peacefully on the window.

"Yes," answered Kuroko, wondering at what means did Akashi gain that information. Did he overhear it on Kuroko's first conversation with Kimura? Or did Akashi notice him walking to and from school and made an educated guess? Kuroko was unsure.

"Did you know anyone in the class?" Questioned Akashi starkly, face has mutual as Kuroko's.

"No." Kuroko responded, "Did you know anyone?"

"No I did not." Akashi said, looking peculiarly at him.

There was a comfortable pause, the first since meeting the class representative. The rain tapped on the window softly, drowning out the noises of the near-broken machine.

Kuroko ran through the conversation before noting an anomaly within Akashi's words. If he did not know anybody, then how did the girls sitting in the desks in front of him know so much detail about him? The business's wealth could be very famous; however she would have had to meet him to note that he did not react... This boy was clouded in mysteries, secrecies that Kuroko was not sure if he wanted to risk finding out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14- The Rundown Park**

"Yo Kuroko! You free this afternoon?"

Kuroko turned around from his task of packing a textbook in his bag to look up curiously at Nakamura. The bell had rang a few minutes ago, and Akashi had calmly but promptly exited the classroom, only uttering a small 'goodbye' to Kuroko as he left.

"Yes I am free." Kuroko replied, securing his bag on his bag.

"Good! We're going to the park!" Nakamura exclaimed excitedly, pointing to Kobayashi and Kimura hovering near the door before turning to leave as well.

"Wait! Isn't it raining?" Kuroko reminded the departing boys.

"It's better when it rains! Come on you'll love it!" Kobayashi called back with a wide grin. Kuroko could only stumble after them.

The raindrops tapped his head and shoulders gently when he followed the three boys outside of the school. They seemed to be having a lot more fun, giggling at the rain and bumping in other.

The park was not fairly close to the school, and they arrived there fairly quickly. It was a small, rundown playground built long before Kuroko was born. The slide was faded into a murky grey colour, and the swings squeaked and squealed precariously with the slightest movement. The small shelter was on a hazardous slant, yet Kuroko knew from his childhood spent at the park with his family that it was stronger than anything.

The dank weather caused the park vanish eerily into its surroundings, yet this did not stop the three boys running vigorously towards the swings and slide. Already feeling the cold wetness of the rain, Kuroko decided to watch them from the shelter, and nestled himself on the damp wooden seats.

Half an hour later, Kimura, Nakamura and Kobayashi joined him, soaked to the bone and shivering in the rainy breeze.

"We could put a toad in his desk?" Nakamura suggested.  
They had decided to go through with the prank against Akashi despite Kuroko not participating and were discussing potential practical jokes to implement. Kuroko was gazing into the distance absentmindedly, although curiously tuning in to their ideas.  
"Nah! Way too childish!" Criticised Kobayashi.

"Speaking of which" added Kimura, "we still haven't told Kuroko 'the thing'."  
This snapped Kuroko's attention to the boys as he peered questionably at Kimura.  
Nakamura and Kobayashi shared a confused glance, obviously not registering what 'the thing' was.

Kimura sighed "What Akashi asked us about him." he clarified.

"Ooh yeah" Kobayashi exclaimed leaning in excitedly to tell the story. "We were just sitting at Kimura's desk trading cards before class began, and Akashi walked over and asked us how long we had known you for."

Was that all? Kuroko had thought it would be much worse... However, before he could speak, Kobayashi continued.

"We said 'only since school began' and Akashi then put on that stupid smirk of his, Yeesh who could have preferred him as the class representative over Kimura… anyway then asking us if we could tell him anything about you; likes, dislikes, fears, or even stuff like your birthdate, and address. Akashi said that 'surely we would be able to answer, after knowing you for almost a year'." Kimura stated, changing his voice to a mocking tone at the last bit.

He shared a look with his two friends, before looking down at the concrete regrettably. "We could not answer any."

There was a silence, where only the sound of the rain was heard.

Guilt sunk in the bottom of Kuroko's stomach like a weighted fishing line. It was not their fault they did not know much about him, in fact, only himself was to blame. It was his fault for not being a good conversation partner… or friend.  
Akashi should not have asked them those questions, although, Kuroko had a sour feeling regarding his intentions, most likely to cause the three boys feel ashamed about the fact that they did not know him well, or the fact they could not notice his dismissive presence. Realising the situation was playing exactly to Akashi's desires, Kuroko had to say something to revert it.

Kuroko looked out into the park, barely visible from the sheer rain pummelling from the sky.

"Let's play a game," Kuroko suggested, an idea lit inside his head. "We will go around the group and ask a question about ourselves, whoever can answer first wins that round."

They looked up at him confused. The sound of the rain filled in the silence. Nakamura hesitantly spoke first. "Hey Kuroko, it's oka-"

"What is my favourite colour?" Kuroko cut him off bluntly. They appeared a taken aback, probably because he had never interrupted before. But Kuroko did not loose his nerve, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Uh... Blue?" Kimura guessed.

"No."

"Woah! But what about your hair colour?!"

"Red?" Suggested Kobayash, appeared confused. Kuroko shook his head, small smile on his face.

"What about yellow?" Nakamura asked a small smile gracing his features.

"That is right." Kuroko admitted, "Now it is your go Kimura."

"That's...unexpected..." Kimura said, pausing to think of his question. "Okay... What is my favourite animal?"

* * *

"Kuroko! A vanilla shake is not a food! It's a drink!" Kobayashi exclaimed heartily.

"I could not think of anything else." Kuroko said seriously, but this caused the three boys to laugh harder.

The game had been very entertaining, and a warm feeling trickled through Kuroko, despite the cool spray from the intense rain. He was slightly concerned about their walk home when it's severity became apparent they had to shout over the rain striking the roof. However, the dangerous weather gave the boys a buzz.

Kimura looked at his watch "It's getting late, we should probably start walking home."

"How?" Kobayashi questioned. The three boys had long since dried off from playing in the rain, and did not desire to get wet again.

"I have an umbrella," Kuroko said, fishing it from his bag, and opening it. It was quite flimsy; however provided some shelter from the rain.  
When the four boys stepped out into the pouring rain, Kuroko quickly became squashed in between the larger boys as they quickly discovered there was little room for all of them under the umbrella.

The grass was unpleasantly sloshy, and the ankle deep puddles leaked into their school shoes.

When Kuroko finally returned home soaked to the bone, his mother promptly shoved him into the bathroom, and dried out his shoes near the heater.

The rain continued on steadily through the night, and was a loud yet sleep inducing sound for Kuroko who lay under his warm covers; smiling as he reminisced on the enjoyable afternoon.

* * *

Thank you once again for your lovely reviews, I read them all eagerly. I apologise for the wait, but heed not, I have a strong desire to complete this story and the quite long plot I have planned.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Water Trails**

His mother was peering out the window with a concerned expression, her long and delicate fingers were softly grasping the thick drab curtains to expose the inclement street outside. "Do you think school is cancelled?" She asked, turning to face her son. Who was seated on the couch behind her. "It has been raining for days."

"I do not think so," Kuroko replied evenly "Our classrooms are mostly indoors."

"Still..." his mother hesitated, glancing outside again.

He knew why his mother did not want him going to school. His father had to leave for work very early this morning, confirmed when Kuroko who was a light sleeper was awoken to the soft noises of activity downstairs, and his mother said that his father would not be home until late at night. This has been going on for a few days and Kuroko had not seen his father for an unusually long time. However this meant that Kuroko would have to walk to and from school in the heavy downpour, with only a flimsy umbrella to shelter him.

He did not think it was that bad, but Kuroko supposed his Mother, did not want her son enduring such conditions.

"Do not worry Mother, it is only rain." He assured her.

She bit her lip and looked down, appearing inexplicably downcast. Had he said something wrong?

"You are right, my dear." She replied sadly. "Have a good day." She approached him tenderly and her pale arms circled around him, hugging him tighter and longer than usual.  
He had feeling his Mother was not telling him something, and Kuroko had a bad feeling about whatever it was.

He slipped on his shoes, still slightly damp from yesterday's proceedings, and unsheathed his umbrella, feeling like a brave knight about to face a dragon.

Kuroko waved to his mother, who retuned his gesture with much more enthusiasm and walked out the door and into the wall of intense rain.

* * *

Kuroko trudged into the school court yard dejectedly, teal hair dripping with hundreds of forsaken raindrops. He had not anticipated the wind to be as violent, and he should not have feared the rain when his real enemy had been the wind. It tugged at his umbrella with incredible force and exposed him to the down pour.

He grasped the silver handle to the glass door, and hesitantly opened it. However, he was instantly aware of how wet he was when small puddles formed around his feet. Water on the polished floor would cause it to be as slippery as ice, and a possible danger to anyone walking by. Kuroko quickly shut the door and lingered outside, not quite knowing what to do. The clock on the adjacent wall foretold the imminent beginning of class, and Kuroko was quickly running out of time.

Thankfully luck was on his side when he caught sight of a figure walking down the corridor in his direction. However, when Kuroko sighted the clean red hair and impeccable uniform, he sighed inwardly.

Although, help from the class representative was a much better alternative than standing out in the cold wind and missing class, so he signalled Akashi with a wave of his arm.  
Any normal person would have walked right on by without noticing Kuroko in distress; however the red head stopped immediately and instinctively glanced to the door where Kuroko was standing.

Akashi promenaded towards the door, and joined him outside. Kuroko felt the red eyes moving up and down him, appraising his wet clothing, dripping hair, and clattering teeth which Kuroko furiously tried to quieten.

"I came searching for you as you are not normally tardy and the school did not receive a call disclosing that you were sick." Akashi spoke, quiet voice cutting through the heavy sounds of the rain like a knife.

"I am afraid I will wet the floor," explained Kuroko levelly, hoping Akashi could hear him over the booming rain. The class representative assessed the situation with calculating eyes, probably figuring out the wisest course of action for Kuroko's predicament.

A gush of freezing wind whipped Kuroko's wet body and he shivered fiercely, which made hushing his clattering teeth near impossible.

"It certainly will not do you any good to remain outside," Akashi said, completely unaffected by the wind, and stood as if it was a pleasant summer's day. "The first aid room is only down the hall; there are towels in there. Once you are dried we will retrace our steps and clean the floor."

He left no room for questioning and opened the door, gesturing for Kuroko to enter first. Having no alternative plan, Kuroko followed Akashi's idea and stepped inside. He instantly felt warmer now he was out of the wind, but he was already dripping onto the floor and had to move quickly. He let Akashi lead him to the first aid room as he did not know where it was.

It was a small, creamy room with an old-looking medical bed, and tens of white closed cupboards. It smelt musky, probably a mixture of the moist air and from being a largely unused room. Akashi strolled to a larger cupboard and pulled out a stack of brown towels that appeared to have been once white decades ago.

He handed one to Kuroko, who accepted it gratefully and Kuroko wrapped the warm towel around his core, simply desiring any warmth the towel could provide. He grabbed another one from Akashi and placed it over his hair, drying it hurriedly, already sick of the feeling of water dripping down his face and skin.

"Tell me, Tetsuya, why were you walking to school in this weather? Surely one of your parents could have driven you." Akashi asked, or more like demanded from him.

Kuroki paused towelling his neck to consider his answer. He felt reluctant to reply and possibly degrade the hard work his father does to provide for their family by complaining about his insignificant problem of getting wet in the rain. But, just as the last time Akashi questioned him, he felt powerfully compelled to provide an answer, and his mouth often moved without consent from his brain. "My father has recently been working very erratic hours, such as early in the morning and late at night..."

Kuroko looked up at the boy, wondering if should continue, but Akashi's undivided attention was on him, and the class representative nodded at him to proceed with his explanation.

"We only have one car, and my father requires it to travel to work, therefore his hours make it impossible to drive me, and since the school is also a detour from the route, I walk to school to avoid unwanted hassle."

"Your father could be working overtime" Akashi recited firmly.

Overtime? He had never heard that term before but it sounded harsh on Akashi tongue. Upon seeing Kuroko's blank face, he explained further.

"It is when an employee works more than their normal working hours."

That explanation did make sense, and Kuroko ruled it as a likely possibility for his father's absence.

"Is your father working late tonight?" Akashi asked.

Kuroko nodded absentmindedly, still pondering over the concept of overtime.

"Then I shall return you home."

What? This statement caught Kuroko by surprise, and a polite refusal rose instantly on his lips.

"Thank you for your kind offer but it is okay Akashi; walking is not so bad."

There was an unnerving silence where Akashi just stared wholly at Kuroko.

"I am not going to allow you to walk home in this weather. Either you accept the ride home, or stay at school until it has stopped. And considering the forecast predicts it will continue throughout the night, you are in for a long wait."

He looked too intimidating to defy and Kuroko was left with little choice. His mouth went dry, and took a silent gulp which did not go unnoticed by Akashi. He mirrored the blank face of the boy in front of him as best as he could.

"I will accept the ride home then." Kuroko said mutually, definitely not desiring to stay at school longer than necessary, yet feeling like he had just fell into a pit on cobras.

Akashi's unnerving expression disappeared, but his expressionless composure remained.

His clothes were still damp, but not dripping, so he hung the wet towels over a drying rack. Kuroko had seen a small cleaning room down the hall where they would likely retrieve a mop, and they cleaned up sodden trail of puddles before they were a slipping hazard for unsuspecting students. They walked up the stairs and in the direction of their classroom.

The clock in the hall read that it had been nearly an hour into classes, and Kuroko marvelled at the quick progression of time. "I apologise for causing you to miss class." Kuroko said, feeling guilty for blemishing Akashi's perfect attendance record.

"That is alright, Tetsuya. It is my role as class representative to take care of the students."

It was surprisingly thoughtful response, which prompted Kuroko to wonder if Akashi was not a such bad person after- Kuroko caught himself before he could fall into a trap of security. He could not let his guard down in front of Akashi. There was a very alarming sensation within Kuroko's stomach that screamed at him to be cautious. Kuroko nodded at Akashi, before steeping inside the classroom.  
No one had noticed that he had been missing, as usual and he was able to walk in without anyone the wiser. But when Akashi entered, all eyes seemed to focus on their class representative like moths drawn to a flame; but Akashi's gaze remained on him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Who is stronger?**

Kuroko walked seamlessly to the desk, the class and teacher unaware of his entrance. He heard the door slide closed, signalling the advent of the class representative. All eyes whizzed to the door, faster than speeding darts thrown to hit bullseye. One step in, and Mr Takeda approached him, probably to question why he was late.

One quick glance around the room revealed that everyone was working on their assignments, and Kuroko decided to seat himself at Akashi's desk, their usual working place, and began placing scissors and glue on the table in preparation for when his assignment partner returned. They had already collected an abundance of notes on the Roman Empire and had decided to begin constructing the poster that would complement the speech. It had been an unspoken agreement that Akashi would be the spokesman for their assignment; a decision Kuroko was very grateful for, and was one of the very few perks of working with the boy.

* * *

Aching, dull pain buzzed through his lower back from sitting in the uncomfortable chair. He had been waiting for almost half an hour and Akashi still had not returned from speaking with their teacher. He glanced over to them, attempting to appraise what their abnormally long conversation was about. Was he being scolded? That was impossible; the teacher adored Akashi.

Kuroko watched from the corner of his eye the teacher finally dismiss the class representative with a jovial wave of his hand, and he followed Akashi's route towards him. He silently pulled out the wooden chair opposite him, and sat down smoothly. "I apologise for the wait." he said curtly and wordlessly evaluated the printed images scattered on the desk before him. He picked up a picture of a dead body lying in the colosseum and started cutting neatly around the edges. "It was nothing." Kuroko assured, not knowing what else to say. There was an uncomfortable silence, so Kuroko decided to ask Akashi on his conversation with Mr Takeda.

"Did you get into trouble?" Kuroko inquired, trying to decipher Akashi's stoic expression.

"No." The boy replied starkly, grasping the scissors within long and pale fingers. "He garrulously told me about his family and their trip to Vanuatu."

Kuroko marvelled at Akashi's eloquent language and snorted softly in amusement, remembering the times he had witnessed other students caught by Mr Takeda's unrelated and uninteresting conversation topics. The sudden mellow atmosphere urged Kuroko to pick up a printed image of his own, a picture of the roman currency to cut out.  
"Does he normally talk to you about such things?" Kuroko asked curiously, interested in Akashi's and Mr Takeda's relationship.

"Perpetually," answered Akashi, glancing at Kuroko to smile very slightly. "You do not seem to have any amity to Mr Takeda at all. I overheard that he did not recognise that you were in his class."

Kuroko grimaced at that, remembering that horrible encounter very well. "I guess a teacher has many things they need to be concerned about. Remembering a name and a face is probably inconsequential" Kuroko said, trying to see the situation from their teacher's perspective.

"I do not think that is a correct assumption," stated Akashi gently. "He is a shallow and naïve old man, with little regard for his surroundings, or his students."

What? Kuroko was taken aback by Akashi's crude description of Mr Takeda. Kuroko assumed that Akashi would like Mr Takeda because the teacher adored him. He thought their teacher was a kind and understanding person. "Akashi that is not tr-" Kuroko began, only to be silenced by a wave of Akashi's hand.

"Maybe one day you will understand," Akashi declared, resting his chin on his hands, causing his scissors to be precariously pointed downwards with this action. Kuroko supressed a sigh, ignoring the boy before him, and continued cutting the picture out.

There was a brief pause, which they spent listening to the rain outside and the chatter of the students around them.

Buzz. Buzz.

An unfamiliar sound vibrated quietly within the small air between the two boys and pale blues eyes inquisitively met red ones. It sounded exactly like a mobile phone. It was not loud enough to go noticed by anyone except him, and he concluded it was emanating from Akashi's pocket. The buzzing continued relentlessly.

The red head did not answer it, and just stared challengingly at Kuroko. He was undoubtedly referring to _that _afternoon, and Kuroko kept his shame at bay, not wanting to give in to Akashi.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Was he going to answer it? Just when Kuroko thought not, Akashi swiftly withdrew it snapped it open with an expert flick of his wrist. Akashi's red eyes stared down at Kuroko superiorly while he held the phone to his ear, and he wondered if it was the same person which set off Akashi's yellow eye. Akashi did not seem angry, so he doubted he would witness another transformation.

Akashi uttered a small goodbye before slipping his phone into his pocket. When he met Kuroko's eyes, he smiled a little chillingly, before resuming his cutting.

Was this a good opportunity to ask Akashi some questions and hopefully receive information about Akashi's eye? It was dangerous, and a little risky, but Akashi seemed to be in a fairly good mood, not that he could really tell for sure.

"Why do you bring a phone to school Akashi?" Kuroko asked, feigning mild curiosity.

"To maintain contact with home," the class representative said curtly, not looking up from cutting the paper. It was a vague answer, and judging by a small smirk visible on Akashi's face which read 'try harder', he concluded that it was intentionally unclear.

However, did this mean Akashi was speaking to one of his parents, or someone from his home the afternoon his eye transformed?

Kuroko tried again, this time attempting to bait Akashi for answers by questioning his independence. "So, to speak with your Mother and Father throughout the day?"

Kuroko suspected that if he said this to his three friends, they would defensively claim that they do not need to be 'mothered' by their parents; however Akashi only chuckled at his words.

"You tact is poor and your baiting needs extensive work," The class representative said diffidently, as if instructing Kuroko on something as simple as maths.

What? Kuroko felt embarrassment curl up within him and slight heat on his face. Akashi had effortlessly seen through all this questions, and this revelation made him abashed. Once again he was caught prying for information.

There was a silence, where Akashi seemed to soak up any hints of embarrassment like a sponge.

"Who do you believe is stronger Tetsuya?" Akashi questioned slowly, glancing down at the photograph of the mangled body below him. "The trained solider or the unarmed slave, fighting in the colosseum?"

"The trained solider," Kuroko replied evenly, not quite being able to detect what Akashi was hinting at. Was he supposed to be the slave, and Akashi the solider? He definitely was not as strong, intelligent or influential as Akashi… It was not easily conceded but it was the harsh truth.

"Wrong."

This caught Kuroko's attention, and his eyes snapped to stare at Akashi.

"It is the emperor." Akashi said, cocking his head to one side, lips forming a small smile.

Something cold and alarming slowly soaked into his body; it stiffened his limbs and froze his movements. He knew that the emperor had control over everyone within in the colosseum and could decide to kill or spare with a simple thumb gesture. Kuroko shivered at the morbid thought.

"You see..." Began Akashi lifting the scissors up to examine them carefully "Winning is fundamental in this world. The victors write history and the losers are wiped from it."

The words slowly invaded his ears and brain, and gave Kuroko a slight headache. Akashi seemed to be engrossed by the scissors in his hand, eyes transparent in thought. He decided not to continue the discussion further, and primarily focus on finishing cutting the images out. The Roman colosseum was a truly horrifying subject to discuss with Akashi. He came to a conclusion that he had not learned anything about the boy sitting opposite him, and he was not looking forward to his ride home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Walking Corpse**

Kuroko forlornly packed away his books into his bag as he cast a solemn glance out the window. The rain beat strongly against the glass, obscuring his view of the vast landscape outside the classroom, only enhancing his feeling of isolation. The weather was as clement as this morning, and he sighed resignedly. There was no way he would be escaping this.  
He was still unsure which was worse; the violent weather or Akashi's volatile personality; however was inclined to believe it was the latter. They were alone in the classroom and said boy, was sitting innocently on a nearby desk, lazily observing Kuroko's movements. The red eyes slowly burned into him like hot wax dripping from candles. He had not adapted to the elongated eye contact and they still frightened him.

When he was finished, he turned to Akashi, who slid off the desk gracefully. The class representative swiftly exited the room, and Kuroko followed him, trying not to feel like a duckling tailing its mother.

He had seen Akashi's expensive automobile many times before, as it was often lingering around the school prior to opening and closing hours, however today it seemed more intimidating than ever. Its dark shape seemed to bleed into its surroundings, through the fog and mist, completely undeterred by the vicious rain.

Kuroko wished he could escape the ostentatious, daunting car and simply walk home. But he knew this was wishful thinking, and he had to accept his imminent fate.

A man dressed in expensive black attire emerged from the car. He held a large black umbrella and walked steadfastly through the downpour towards them. Kuroko curiously wondered if he was the driver. When he arrived, he greeted Akashi with a low sweeping bow.

Kuroko was taken aback but Akashi did not even blink at the gesture. The mysterious man outstretched the umbrella to cover Akashi, but did not seem to notice Kuroko, who was still lingering behind the boy.

Kuroko felt a firm, cold grasp on his wrist, and almost gasped when the hand (with surprising strength) thrusted him forward.  
The man's eyes widened, brimming with surprise and confusion as he stared down at the small, pale boy standing beside Akashi. His thick brown eyebrows arched together in misunderstanding as he looked to Akashi for confirmation.  
"A friend, Master Akashi?" His voice disbelieving as if the very existence of Kuroko was simply unheard of.

Master? Kuroko realised quickly. Was the man a butler? That would explain his formal clothing and odd way of addressing Akashi.

"This is Kuroko Tetsuya" Akashi supplied, voice chillingly harsh towards the man. "He requires a ride home."

"My apologies Master Kuroko." The butler said, bowing low.

Kuroko felt uncomfortable with this older man calling him a master, and opened his mouth to correct him, however was silenced immediately by a frightening glare from Akashi.

Unlike Kuroko's flimsy umbrella, the black umbrella was incredibly strong, and sheltered the two boys sufficiently from the rain. However the butler walked outside its protection, and travelled alongside them to hold it over the boys. There was enough room for the three of them under the umbrella, and Kuroko did not understand why he did not join them.

When they arrived at the car, the butler opened the door for them, and Akashi slid in elegantly. In contrast Kuroko clambered in nervously, never been in something so valuable in his life.  
The seats were smooth black leather, and walls coated in dark material. There were champagne glasses lined up on Kuroko's left, and a small refrigerator situated in front of him where no doubt the alcohol was chilled. The sight was foreign to him, as his parents had never let him drink alcohol. The view of the driver was obscured completely by what looked like a tinted soundproof barrier, giving the boys complete privacy... Something Kuroko was not terribly grateful for.

The engine ignited soundlessly, and they were driving smoothly along the roads. A few minutes ticked by, and he did not know what to do with himself. He felt sorely misplaced in the expensive car. Kuroko felt his back arch as straight as possible, hands folded together, and gazed resolutely at the shadowy floor below his feet, wishing time would go faster.

Akashi stared at him with an arched eyebrow, eyes tracking his restive movements. A quiet symphonic laugh was released from his lips. "You needn't be so timid Tetsuya." The class representative assured smoothly, although sounding a little condescending in the process. He raised a hand to gesture languidly at the glasses. "Perhaps some champagne will ease your nerves?"

Kuroko shook his head heatedly, but realised by Akashi's melodic chuckle that it was a joke. Relief filled him, but he decided to ignore the joke and stared out the window to pass the time. Not that he could see much around the fat drops dripping down the glass like paint. The ambiance was weirdly tolerable, and allowed him to slip into a daydream.  
It only took a few minutes to arrive at his house, the driver removed himself from the seat instantly to walk around the car and open Kuroko's door.

"Thank you very much for the ride home Akashi," Kuroko said, turning to slide out of the car door. The butler was there with the umbrella so he remained untouched by the rain.

"We will be waiting for you here at seven forty sharp tomorrow morning. Do not be late." Akashi stated, looking over the smaller boy to appraise Kuroko's insignificant house.

Disagreement was on his tongue in seconds. He did not want to spend any more time in the car or with Akashi than necessary, and there was a possibility that the weather may clear up by tomorrow. "No that is-" Kuroko attempted, but he was cut in by Akashi's red gaze, which snapped back to him with the speed of a viper.

The atmosphere seemed to become heavy, as if absorbing the harsh, biting rain surrounding him. "Do not make me repeat myself, Tetsuya."

Kuroko nodded hesitantly, unable to find his voice to decline further.

The butler held the umbrella for him as he walked to his front porch, and disappeared speedily back to the car before Kuroko could thank him. It pulled smoothly away from his house, as if hovering above the ground.

The wind gushed at him, causing his fringe to fly away from his face. He concluded that while the ride home was not as bad as he first imagined, he would have preferred walking home in the weather.

Suddenly revelation smashed through his skull like a hammer. Kuroko felt his lungs constrict slightly, causing him to take quick and short breaths.

He did not ever tell Akashi or the butler his home address! Unease filled him like water inundating a leaky ship. How did they know where he lived? Akashi mentioned before that he knew Kuroko lived a few streets away from the school, but there are numerous houses nearby, there is no way it was a lucky guess.

A little shaken, he decided to take refuge inside, and the warm, comfortable atmosphere of his house eased his distressed mind. The low ceiling and small tight walls kept the heat circulating without the luxury of a heater. "I am home." He said routinely, looking around for his mother.

Silence.

"Mother?" he voiced worriedly. She was normally on him in a second of his entrance, hugging him or shoving some baked good into his mouth.

"Oh Tetsuya! Is that you dear?"

A sigh of alleviation escaped his mouth as he followed the sound of her voice into the adjacent room. She was perched on the couch, a book was lying on her lap and she rubbed her eyes hastily.

Was she crying?

"Mother, why are you upset?" he questioned quickly, rarely seeing his mother in a mood anything but happiness. He sat down next to her, and peered at the white book, it had…photographs lining the pages.

She handed it to him, smiling although the trails of wet tears still clung to her face.

Kuroko caressed the soft cover slowly, before flicking through the photos… wedding photos? These were photos of his mother and fathers wedding! He stopped at a photograph of his mother. Her hair was beautifully and intricately braided, embellished with small yellow flowers, and dripping in a pearly lace veil. His father, looking lovingly into her eyes appeared fresh faced and ecstatic. His grandmother hovered in the background, appeared younger and healthier than ever.

"You look beautiful mother!" Kuroko exclaimed, eyes trailing across the images.  
She laughed tenderly, leaning over to hug him.

"But what is wrong?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her. She did not answer, and as Kuroko was going to drop the subject she whispered softly into his ear.

"Today is our anniversary."

"That is great Mother! Happy anniversa-" Kuroko stopped as it dawned on him why his mother was upset. His father had not been seen since early this morning, and had still had not returned from work.

He felt something lodged down his throat, and small pricks of wetness touched his eyelids.

Kuroko missed him too.

* * *

Cheering. Thousands of people screaming at him, the numerous voices unified into one monstrous roar which vibrated into his ribs. The people were seated around a large arena, and appeared like tiny coloured specs from where he was standing, and he could not identify anyone. He felt the suppleness of the ground under his shoes, and one glance down confirmed he was standing in sand. The whole area he was in was sandy, but its odd coopery colour sent his stomach churning like a washing machine. He felt his thin hair being penetrated by the blazing sun, which caused his scalp to feel as if it had caught alight.

His body felt tight and restricted, and Kuroko realised that he was dressed in his school uniform. The olive grey coloured blazer unforgettable and engraved into his mind. His arm felt leaden, and his muscles ached from the heavy steel sword he wielded.

Apprehension buzzed through the air like electric tension before a storm… He seemed to be waiting for something.

A shadow flickered in the near distance, and he put one arm up to shield his eyes from the bright sun. His heart skipped a beat when a figure stepped out from the darkness, and began advancing towards him. The person brandished their sword expertly, and Kuroko felt his lungs close up when he noticed the blade was crusted in blood.

When the boy came into view, Kuroko recognized the familiar red hair. It was Akashi! Dressed in his uniform as well, the class representative was easily discernible.

The cheering urged him on, chanting unfamiliar roman words. The closer Akashi became, the tighter his lungs concaved into one another, they screamed for air, yet Kuroko could not supply any for them. He could not breathe! He attempted to hastily move away from the boy, but chains bound his feet together, and only allowed him to shuffle back only centimetres at once.

Akashi halted his predatory advance a couple of metres from Kuroko, and stared him down. Knowing that he could not escape the boy, Kuroko lifted the heavy sword up affrighted, but it was knocked from his grasp with a flick from Akashi's sword. He was now defenceless. The crowd roared in glee.

Akashi pointed the bloody sword so the tip was touching his neck. Kuroko wanted to scream for help, but nothing would come from his mouth. He cringed away from the blade, moving back to try and retrieve his sword but the boy kicked him squarely in the knees. Pain flared from his legs as he tumbled to the ground with a silent gasp. Akashi's red eyes were devoid of any emotion as he observed Kuroko on the ground, unable to stand back up because of his bound feet. The looming boy angled his blade on Kuroko's exposed neck. He tried to move away, but Akashi slammed a foot down on his lower back to keep him in place.

Just when he thought it was all over, Akashi paused and looked away from him. Kuroko followed his gaze as much as the sword would allow without cutting his throat. He was staring at a furnished and embellished box situated above the roaring crowd. There was a person sitting on a throne. The emperor! Kuroko thought anxiously. He would be the only person who could save him now.

His heart dropped when he registered the identity of the emperor. Red hair dripping into pale skin like blood and his face adorned two sparkling mismatching eyes. One a dark shade of red and the other, a bright yellow which seemed to glow luminously. They observed the arena with a cruel and calculative movements. His mouth twisted into a wide smile, revealing a set of straight white teeth. His pale hand reached into the sky, the crowd yelled and cheered. Time seemed to slow down.

Kuroko gasped in fright when Akashi's thumb stretched towards the sky, to mimic a sword thrusting. The sign to kill.

The Akashi before him did not need any more encouragement; he lifted the sword, which reflected the sun's rays for a moment before he brought it down on Kuroko strongly...

Kuroko awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and dripping in sweat, his feet were entangled tightly within the blankets. Images from the nightmare engrained itself into the back of his eyelids, and he rubbed them eagerly with his fists.

The raining outside calmed his afflicted imagination, and steadied his erratic breathing. Kuroko's throat was parched and scratchy, and in desperate need of water.

He untangled his legs from the blankets and arose slowly, still shaken by the strange, gruesome dream. The light was on in the kitchen, making the stairs easy to navigate. The clock read past midnight, so he padded around the kitchen where he found a glass, and filled it to the brim with water. He drank it all in one quick concession of gulps. The dryness in his throat had disappeared, yet the scratchy feeling remained.

It was deathly quiet within the house, and Kuroko, knowing returning to his bed is a scary prospect, decided to sit on the longue for a couple of minutes.

The booming rain outside was louder for a moment when the front door creaked open quietly. Kuroko felt the goosebumps crawl onto the back of his neck as he cautiously peeked from the couch at the door, fearful it might be an intruder.  
However, he calmed instantly when he spotted his father's familiar face. Kuroko arose from the couch excitedly, desiring to go hug the man. He had not seen him in a couple of days, and he had missed his father dearly.

However, something in the way his father dragged his feet along the floor stopped Kuroko dead in his tracks.

The man was slumped over within himself, eyes were glazed over, and carrying heavy bags, darker than the rain clouds outside. His face, normally bright and happy (as it looked in the weddings photos he saw that day) looked drained, and as if he had aged a decade. Kuroko was reminded of a walking corpse, and this thought made him want to cry.

His father plod by the longue room, and Kuroko decided not to disturb him. The man did not notice his son tucked away on a couch through his exhausted mind.

One word kept playing over and over within Kuroko's mind as he sat on the couch in the darkness for the next few hours.

Overtime.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Entangled**

Kuroko watched his grandmother peer inquisitively outside the front window, her frail wrinkled hand casting the drab curtain aside to reveal more of their front yard. With a quick glance at the clock, Kuroko knew for sure what she must be looking at.

"Tetsuya, do you happen to know anything about a flash, black car that pulled into our driveway?" she asked, turning to her grandson.

"The class representative offered to drive me to school today," he informed them flatly, evincing he was not happy about the arrangement. His grandmother paused to hum quietly.

"What a kind offer. It is raining quite heavily".

His mother was by her side in an instant, hovering over her small frame to see the vehicle parked outside. She blew a low whistle under her breath. "Nice car, you don't see many of that value very often!" She had recovered from yesterdays sadness, and was back to her usual, chipper self. Much to Kuroko's relief.

Kuroko despondently retrieved his bag from the floor and shuffled over to the door. "Have a great day at school Tetsuya!" His mother chimed before the he closed the squeaky door. Rain was still pelting down with a vengeance, making the puddles in the grass and pavement dance and ripple fiercely. The sleets of deluge seemed to create wispy waves of droplets that swirled through the air and trees like magical dust. Kuroko could hear the soft murmurs of susurration which spoke within the resounding pitter-pattering sound. The weather had not subsided has he had hoped for, and he found himself staring aimlessly into the churning dark clouds above him as if they could solve his impending problem.

The butler escorted him from his house to the car with the large black umbrella. Kuroko could feel the beady eyes of his mother and grandmother on his back, watching the unfamiliar display through the curtains. The man opened the car door for him, and he awkwardly stumbled into the smooth black leather seats, almost landing on Akashi's knees in the process.

He swiftly clicked his seatbelt over his body before addressing the class representative. Akashi's creamy skin and striking red hair sent tense shivers down Kuroko's spine as he was reminded of the dream. He hoped Akashi did not notice. "Thank you very much for the ride, Akashi."

"That is alright." he replied coolly, turning to gaze thoughtfully outside "We would not want a repeat of yesterday."

Kuroko felt the back of his neck heat slightly and his eyes followed Akashi's gaze outside. The rest of the car ride was silent, and he relished in it, trying not to direct any more of the boy's attention onto him.

They arrived at school, and wordlessly trudged to the main building. The cherry blossom trees appeared battered by the weather, and Kuroko noted gloomily that his eating area had been flooded.

He and Akashi parted ways when the boy informed him that he had business to tend to in the office, so Kuroko continued to the classroom by himself, meeting his three friends near the door.

"Good morning" Kuroko greeted quietly, not wanting to startle them.  
"Yo Kuroko!" Kobayashi replied with a customary slap on the back. The light, jovial atmosphere of his friends was like fresh air. Kuroko felt himself relax slightly, not having to be concerned about motives or mysteries and he rejoiced in their amusing banter.

* * *

It had been very easy to tune Mr Takeda's mundane voice out and listen to the soothing resonance of the rain instead. They had not worked on their assignment that day, and Kuroko had forgotten about the dull edge to their teacher's speech that encouraged his words to go unregistered through one ear and out the other. The only student who _would_ have been paying attention was Akashi, and he was currently out of the classroom, having been sent to run various errands for Mr Takeda.

Additionally, the closing of the week made paying attention near impossible, as the promise of the approaching weekend drifted throughout the classroom like coloured balloons floating and bouncing merrily of the walls and roof.

As if sensing the anticipating atmosphere, the bell chimed through the crackly speaker with enduring joy. Upon hearing it, the students seemed to let out a silent whoop, jumping from their seats to stuff their books in their bags and escape from school.

Kuroko participated in their content ambience, and could not keep a smile off his face at the thought of the weekend. He had overheard his father would be having Sunday off, meaning that their family would be spending some well-deserved time with him. Everything would go back to normal for one day. He could envision his father's laughing and energised face as the whole family played a board game, nothing like that unfamiliar man he witnessed the previous night.

A loud clatter snapped his thoughts back to reality, whizzing around to see papers and pencils scattered on the floor, and two girls scrambling to retrieve the fallen equipment. Kuroko swooped down immediately to pick up the fallen stationary which had rolled near his feet.

Upon further inspection he recognised the two girls as the students who were seated in the desks in front of him, Hana and Riko he discovered their names were. However, he had not spoken to them since the conversation at the beginning of the year.

Shuffling over to them, he offered the pencils to the pair, but they appeared to be engaging in their chatting and did not notice him. "Here you go," Kuroko added, waving his hand of pencils at them.

"Wah!" They gasped, jumping into the air in a feline-like manner. When they perceived Kuroko, Hana uttered a small apology and accepted the stationary with a "thank you." Riko was staring at him, her mouth open. There was a long and uncomfortable pause.

This was a good opportunity to ask them about what they told him about Akashi on the first day, and discover if Akashi was telling the truth in printer room.

"Do you remember what you told me about Akashi at the beginning of the year?" he began, self-consciously breaking the silence.

Riko seemed to snap out of her bewildered state before nodding strongly, her short caramel hair bobbing at the abrupt movement. Hana appeared slightly unsure of the new conversation topic, and eyed Kuroko sceptically.

"He informed me that he did not know anyone in the class when he entered the school, so I was wondering how you knew the information you told me."

"I had not personally met Akashi until school began," Riko explained "however, I first saw him at the entrance exams. I was intrigued by his movements, and kept an eye on him in the duration of the exam."

Kuroko recalled going to the entrance exams, he attended the one held on the second day, meaning both Akashi and Riko attended the first one.

"I concluded on that day he possesses uncanny strength, particularly in his abdomen" she commented, resting her hand on her lower stomach.

Kuroko stared openly at her, absentmindedly feeling his slightly bruised wrist from the previous day. "How did you deduct that?"

She dismissed Kuroko's question with a wave of her hand "My father coaches at a gym. Anyway, there was one moment where a leg come off a student's desk, and caused a loud bang. Everyone in the room jumped, but not Akashi. His expression didn't even change! That's when I knew something was... Off about him."

Hana was looking at her friend oddly, and Riko's eyes widened and she waved her arms frantically. "Although, I grossly underestimated his intelligence and leadership skills." She amended, giving her friend an encouraging look.

"I recall you mentioned something about him being a heir to a business?"

Hana jumped at this, pleased to inform Kuroko what she knew about Akashi. "His family business generates incredible wealth! Making the family rich! And he is the only heir!" She gushed, voice a dream-like quality.

Riko's expression was unreadable, as she tapped her chin at this. "However, there are rumours that the Akashi business also does... Underground work," she whispered, with an attentive glance over her shoulder.

Kuroko was unsure what the term 'underground' meant when describing a business, but he assumed it had something to do with mining coal or minerals.

"My parents said that once you become entangled with an Akashi, it is impossible to escape." Riko continued.

Kuroko inhaled sharply. However, his shocked expression was overlooked when a girlish giggle erupted from Hana. She must really fancy him, yet Kuroko could not understand why.

One glimpse at the clock sent him shifting towards the door. Akashi would be waiting. "Thank you very much for sparing some of your time to talk to me," Kuroko acknowledged with a small bow. "Have a nice weekend!"

"No problem Kuroko!" Riko exclaimed waving at him. "Anytime!"

Kuroko decided that he rather liked Riko, and vowed to talk to her again; though next time, not about their class representative.

He rounded the corner at a jog. He was so late. He did not know how Akashi would react, but he could guess that he did not enjoy being kept waiting. Kuroko also felt guilty for causing the other boy more trouble.

His shoes made harsh, squeaky noises on the polished floor, and when he sighted the silhouette of the boy, he skidded to a stop.

Akashi was leaning on the wall, his body making an organic, regal shape on the straight, upright wall. He looked as if he had been waiting in that position for quite a long time, and the empty corridors revealed how late Kuroko was.

"I am very sorry for making you wait" The words tumbled out of his mouth, a little out of breath.

Akashi did not respond, and just examined him with his sharp red eyes before removing an invisible spec from his clothes.

"I apologise, I will not be able to drive you home today. Have a pleasant weekend" He clipped cryptically, voice dull and robotic as if he were speaking to a stranger.

"That is okay." Replied Kuroko, feeling slightly relieved. He turned to the door, and the rainy landscape stood before him. The street was empty, except for a few of the teacher's cars. Akashi's car would normally be there by now?

He turned back to the class representative suspiciously, "Why can you not drive me?" He voiced bluntly.

"The highway bridge has been flooded, and cars are unable to cross."

Kuroko slowly considered what he must do. He certainly could not leave Akashi here; his mother would be appalled if she discovered he had left someone alone at school, or anywhere for that matter. Besides, the weekend was approaching, and the school would be shut very soon.

"Come on then. We can go to my house." Kuroko offered, gesturing to the door.

"Thank you for your gracious offer but I decline." Akashi intoned, crossing his arms gracefully, and angling his chin upwards.

Kuroko was not expecting such an outright refusal and had half a mind to reply with 'ok' and walk home without him. Instead, he let out an unrefined huff. He grasped Akashi's cool, pale arm with his hand and gently tugged him away from the wall. Akashi did not resist, nor change his blank expression.

"The school is going to close soon. So you can stay at my house until the bridge is cleared."

Akashi raised an elegant eyebrow at him. "Very well," he said, walking with Kuroko to the glass door.

"I did not bring my umbrella today, so we will just have to withstand the rain." He informed Akashi, opening the glass door and stepping out into the rain and frosty wind.

It took no time at all for the pair to become soaked to the bone. Kuroko could feel the small puddles of water forming within his pockets and shoes, as his feet made a slushing sound with every step. The clatter of his teeth was becoming irrepressible and his body was racked with shivers. There was little protection for his numb fingers from the ice wind. Yet if Akashi was feeling cold, he did not show it; strolling on the foot path as if it was a mild summer's day.

When Kuroko sighted his familiar brick mailbox, a sigh of joy escaped his frigid lips. He jogged to the patio, eager to escape the rain. Akashi joined him moments later, wiping his chin of the stray raindrops licking his face. Finally able to see the boy without thousands of droplets obscuring his vision, Kuroko was slightly confounded by what he saw.

Akashi was utterly drenched. His fringe was a dark wine colour, and slicked back tidily by the water. Droplets clung to his pale skin and dripped off his aristocrat nose and high cheekbones. He normally appeared so proper and refined, so seeing him in this state was nothing short of a paradox. Although, the boy still held himself with pride, undaunted by his soaked condition.

Judging by the amused way in which Akashi appraised him… he did not think he looked any better.

Kuroko knocked quietly on his wooden front door, which opened with a drawn out and unpleasant squeaking noise. His mother looked down on her wet son in worry, before her eyes snapped instantly to the unfamiliar, red headed boy. Confused; she glanced back at Kuroko questioningly.

"Who is this, Kuroko? A friend?" She exclaimed excitedly. "You have never brought any of your friends home before!?"

Kuroko coloured slightly when Akashi raised an eyebrow at him, his face angled so only Kuroko could see. He decided to ignore her ramblings. "Mother, could we please have some towels to dry off?"

She snapped out of her gaze, and registered their soaked hair and clothes with a concerned gasp. "Of course!" She cried, bouncing inside to retrieve some towels from a nearby cabinet, and promptly shoving them into their arms.

"Mother, this is Akashi Seijuro, he lives across the highway, which has been flooded. Could he stay until it clears?"

"Why certainly!"

Akashi immediately stepped forward to shake his mother's hand firmly. "Good afternoon Mrs Kuroko. I apologise for imposing on your hospitality."

This caught his mother by surprise, completely unused to such formality. His mother made eye contact with Kuroko over Akashi's shoulder and she flashed him a pleased smile. "Don't be! You may stay as long as you need." She reassured with a gentle pat on his back. "The bridge may take a little while to reopen, so I will ring your parents to tell them where you are. Do you have their phone number?"

Red eyes flashed for a spilt second, before fading back into his cool composure, Akashi's expression morphing back into a blank untouched canvas. His mother did not seem to notice, and stared at the boy expectantly.

"I can call them Mrs Kuroko, you do not need to concern yourself."

"It's no trouble. And besides, they need to meet the adult you will be staying with," she reasoned with a wink.

Akashi gazed at her for a long moment, before reciting the number. "Great!" she nodded, scribbling down the number on a note pad she seemed to get out of thin air. His mother turned to address Kuroko. "When you get dried off, put your uniforms in the wash, and lend Akashi some of yours clothes, thankfully you look around the same size."

Kuroko nodded doubtfully, and she left them to dry off.

The pair silently towelled themselves off, peeling away their shoes and socks. When they were relatively dry and no longer dripping, Kuroko gripped the doorknob hesitantly. Anxiety seemed to slither and tightly coil around him like hungry snakes, willing him not to open the door. Alarm bells accompanied this uneasiness, shrilling deafeningly in his mind, warning him to not invite Akashi in.

With one glance back, Kuroko concluded he really did not have a choice.

With that in mind, he opened the door.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: The Elegant Laugh**

Akashi's eyes, which normally focussed on him with incredible intensity, were now whizzing similarly through his house and possession. The red orbs passed over the flannel couches, drab curtains, slightly dusty carpet, cracked baseboards, and faded wallpaper without expression. It had a strange unnerving effect on Kuroko; almost as if the privacy of his home life was being threatened.

They climbed the stairs with soft thuds; jazz music played softly through the air from their old radio, his mother humming along with it softly while stirring soup in a pot. Suddenly, another voice spoke from above them, surprising Kuroko slightly.

"Did you boys walk back in the rain?" His Grandmother said with a small chuckle, noting their damp hair and clothing from the top of the stairs.

Before Kuroko could answer, Akashi moved up a step to reply.  
"I'm afraid that is my fault, I could not take Kuroko home today," Akashi affirmed, holding her gaze powerfully.

"Oh so you are the mysterious class representative?" Her voice sounded a little unfamiliar to Kuroko; there was a nonchalant and biting edge to it that was so unlike her usual gentleness.

"Akashi Seijuro," Akashi supplied.

"Well Akashi, thank you very much for driving Kuroko to school." She acknowledged, bowing her head slightly.

"It is no trouble."

There was an odd intensity between the two, which Kuroko desired to diffuse immediately.  
"We should get out of these wet clothes." He announced, walking up the rest of the stairs, and giving his grandmother a quick hug before leading Akashi to his room.

Just like the other rooms, Akashi seemed to analyse every tiny detail of his bedroom. Luckily, Kuroko kept his room quite tidy. He approached his timber closet to locate clothes for Akashi and heard soft footsteps echo about the room as the boy moved in examination.

"You never mentioned that your grandmother possessed a similar presence to yours." Akashi commented, his voice flittered through the room like velvet ribbons in the arm of a dancer.

Kuroko shrugged his shoulders, not quite liking this conversation topic. He did not want to bring his grandmother into this… whatever it was.

"How did you know where I lived when you drove me home yesterday?" Kuroko asked, keeping his voice stubbornly casual, and hoping he was somewhat tactful when changing the subject.

Although he was not facing the boy, he could feel the red eyes upon him once again.

"The class representative is given some information on the students in their class. Home addresses are included."

Relief pooled within his stomach…yet he did not know what else he was expecting Akashi to answer. He found some of his larger clothes, not completely convinced they shared the same size, and turned to hand them to the class representative. "Have you needed to go to anyone's house before?"

"Not many," Akashi confirmed, accepting the clothes from Kuroko and swiftly peeling off his uniform shirt.

Kuroko turned back to the dresser to give him some privacy.

"However, I did have to deliver some homework to Kobayashi when he missed school from the flu."

Kuroko snorted quietly at this, imagining the horrified expression on Kobayashi when he sighted the class representative at the door. He had never been to any of his friend's house before, and wondered what they looked like.

"Have you met Kimura's mother at the office?" Kuroko wondered, knowing that visiting the office was a regular role of the class representative.

"I have," Akashi answered coolly, "I am acquainted with most of the employees in the office."

Kuroko let out a soft hum as he found sourced some warm clothes for himself, desperate to be rid of his damp clothes, he changed as quickly as he could. Pushing his soggy fringe out of his face, he turned to see Akashi dressed in his clothes. It surprised him. His mother was right about them being similar sizes. But Kuroko had never registered that him and Akashi were around the same height. The other boys in the class were much taller than Kuroko and seemed to loom over him... However, Akashi was never loomed over, or outshined by anyone. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

This gave Kuroko a twinge of hope, that he may become more noticeable with some confidence.

Additionally, seeing the boy outside of the school uniform and in his casual clothes gave Akashi a more informal and human-like quality, and Kuroko felt a little more comfortable around him. He had his mobile phone open in his hands, and the situation caught up to Kuroko.  
Akashi stored the phone in his pocket, meaning it probably got considerably wet during their walk from school.

"Is it broken?" Kuroko asked worriedly, shuffling over to the boy to inspect the damage.

"I believe so." The class representative confirmed, snapping the defunct device shut.

"I am very sorry I did not have an umbrella with me." Kuroko apologised, but only to an amused smirk from Akashi.

"You did not have an umbrella with you because you assumed I would be delivering you home. Therefore, the fault is mine. Besides it is easily replaceable," He assured, tossing the mobile on the small desk in Kuroko's room.

They deposited their wet uniforms in the wash and made a bee-line for the kitchen.

"Would you like a drink?" Kuroko offered, reciting what his mother and father often said when guests were over. His mother was currently out of the kitchen, and the soup was simmering on a low heat. The jazz seemed to lighten the atmosphere to a pleasant buzz, despite the pouring rain outside.

"Do you have any tea?" Akashi asked, looking about the small kitchen.

Kuroko did not know one person his age that drank tea, and always thought it was fundamentally an adult drink, but heeded the request nonetheless.

"We do, but I am afraid I do not know how to make it." He admitted, standing on his toes to reach the box of teabags in a higher cabinet.

"That's alright. I will."

While Kuroko prepared himself a cup of hot cocoa, Akashi brewed himself tea, and soon they were perched on the old window seat which overlooked the small backyard, sipping from their mugs. A chess board was between them, the black pieces slowly advancing through the white's strong defence. He had not known that Akashi was an exceptional chess player when he had suggested it, but he should have assumed the boy would excel at strategy games.

A small smile played on Akashi's lips when Kuroko moved his creamy pawn tentatively in attempts to ward off the invading opposition; although despite his efforts, felt as if it was a lost cause when Akashi's knight swiped his piece off the board.

He almost had not noticed his mother was not in kitchen until she climbed down the stairs, with their old bulky phone by her side. She quickly checked her soup at the stove, and after readjusting the temperature a margin, she turned to address the boys.

"It took me a little while to get through, but I finally reached your mother Seijuro-" Kuroko almost gasped from his mother's careless use of Akashi's first name.  
"-and she is fine with you staying the weekend if need be!"

Had the phone connection been bad because of the weather?

Akashi only nodded, moving a pawn as if it were a sufficient reply.

"Are the phone lines disrupted from the rain?" Kuroko asked his mother curiously. The unpleasant phone lines that ran throughout their suburb seemed sturdy enough to endure anything.

She hummed, looking at her son, eyes soft with intrigue. "Something like that," she replied, smiling sweetly before returning deeper into the kitchen.

His mother's odd display overturned around in Kuroko's brain like a washing machine, he doubted the phone lines were dead, otherwise she would have explicitly told him. His mother was just like that.

Kuroko decided that the only means to get answers was to ask Akashi himself, it was regarding him after all. However, before he could so much as open his mouth to voice the question, Akashi sighed quietly, and looked at him, eyes as deep and dark as the sea.

"Your mother found it difficult to contact my residence because only registered numbers are permitted to be transferred to the main household." He intoned, "I will have to remember to include your number on the list."

It struck Kuroko as an unusual practice, but he dared not let his confusion leak onto his expression. He racked his brain for potential reasons why Akashi's family would go through so much hassle to remain uncontactable, but could not form any reasonable conclusions.

"It is quite remarkable she even managed to get through." Akashi added, voice a lower key than usual.

"Why go to all that trouble?" Kuroko asked, moving a chess piece in order to retain some semblance that the conversation was normal.

"To stop unwanted people calling." The class representative supplied, as if it were the simplest concept.

His mother was always ranting about how irksome telemarketers were; perhaps it was a ploy to stop them?

"Telemarketers, for example?" Kuroko filled in, hoping to get an elaboration. But instead, quiet mellifluous chuckles were audible through the heavy patter of rain on the glass.

Even his laugh was elegant. Nothing like the bellowing cackle from his friends at school, but still just as nice.

"Yes. Telemarketers." Akashi laughed, moving a pawn. A faint smile ghosted his face, and unlike most of his fleeting emotions, stayed in place.

Kuroko rolled his eyes at the boy, knowing somewhere that Akashi was keeping information from him. He could feel that something bigger was looming over them like an insurmountable shadow. It was in the air, dense and suffocating.

The red headed guest stared out the window, and Kuroko wondered if he felt it too. Akashi did not seem like the same boy as before. He seemed less intimidating.

"Do you play chess often?" Akashi asked softly, sipping his tea and turning his eyes to study him.

"Not really." Kuroko answered, "My father and I used to have matches often." Those were simpler and joyful days. "What about you?"

"I usually do not have time for any sort of games."

Kuroko waited for an elaboration, but felt the boy would not reply if not prompted.  
"Why?" he asked.

"I have a strict schedule I must adhere to."

This time, he could not keep a quizzical arch of his brow hidden. A schedule seemed like a practice for only very busy people, like a member of the royal family or the president.

"What would you be doing normally at this very moment?" Kuroko questioned, trying to understand what this 'schedule' entailed.

Red eyes swept the clock. "Modern languages, but in a few minutes, business."

On a Friday afternoon? Kuroko could not think of anything more tedious. Combined with school work and being the class representative, he doubted Akashi had free time, and his days felt luxuriously empty in comparison.

Kuroko did not think when he moved his queen a space forward, falling right into Akashi's web.

A few moves later, Akashi articulated a low "check mate" quickly setting up his pawns again for another game. "You lasted surprisingly long," he complimented stoically. "Perhaps you will have better luck in another game."

This cycle continued the rest of the afternoon, Kuroko never won, although he did not mind all that much.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- The Soft Murmurs**

"Boys! Dinner is ready!" Summoned his mother from the dinning room, the smell of a cooked dinner wafting gently throughout the small house.

It was dark outside, Kuroko mentally noted, being almost unable to recollect the hazy hours spent playing chess. He gently stowed the chessboard away, their current game remaining unfinished.

The pair wordlessly climbed from the window seat and padded across the floor to the dining room. His mother had just finished pouring the watery green soup into creamy, worn bowls placed on the blemished timber table. Akashi gazed skeptically at the meal, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly, but Kuroko congratulated himself for noticing.

The head of the table; the place his father usually occupied was left glaringly empty, yet Kuroko was glad no one was sitting in it; he was sure it would only cause the desolate feeling in his stomach to intensify. However, he assumed that it was vacant because his mother and grandmother shared this sentiment.

Kuroko slid into his usual seat, situated opposite his mother, and Akashi took the one to his immediate right, directly in front of his grandmother, who stared unceremoniously at the new addition to their family.

When they were all seated, they began consuming the vegetable soup.

"So Seijuro?" His mother began, often known for prying on guests at the dinner table. "How has school been?"

"Very well thank you. The teachers and students are all kind, and the content is easy enough."

She nodded, sipping at her soup contemplatively. "That's good! So why did you decide to attend school here? Isn't there a closer one across the bridge?"

Akashi swallowed noiselessly before answering "This is the school my mother attended, and she wanted me to go as well."

Kuroko had not known that, and innocently sipped the watery substance off his spoon, relieved his mother was so talkative.

"Oh really! What do your parents do for a living?" She inquired further, driven by the pursuit of conversation.

"They own a business." He clipped cryptically.

"Now that you mention it, I thought the name Akashi sounded familiar. What kind of business do they run?"

"They sell and invest in the stock market."

Kuroko recalled Riko mentioning that they were involved in the underground industry, and he wondered why Akashi left that out. However, that thought was disbanded from his mind when Akashi voiced his next question.

"What does Mr Kuroko do for a job? I have yet to make his acquaintance." the guest asked.

The soup Kuroko was sipping at suddenly caught in his throat, and he nearly choked on it.

The table was deathly silent. After recovering, Kuroko glanced at Akashi questioningly, but was met with a deceptively innocent expression.

"He works at a nearby factory." His mother answered quietly. "You may meet him on Sunday, he is having a day off then."

She stopped asking questions after that. And kept conversation alive by addressing Kuroko and his grandmother, discussing trivial, meaningless matters.

The red eyes peered at Kuroko, but kept his own glued down at his soup until they were finished.

Out of habit, Kuroko began to unset the table, stacking Akashi's bowl within his own but his mother hastily waved him off. "Don't worry about that tonight darling. You boys go upstairs and have fun."

"…Ok." Kuroko stated hesitantly, leaving his small stack at the end of the table. The pair retreated to the bedroom, where His mother had placed a spare mattress on the floor, and covered it with blankets; as they had no guest beds for Akashi to sleep in.

If Akashi was displeased with sleeping on the floor he did not show it.

"Do you want to work on the assignment?" Kuroko suggested, reminded of it by an open textbook on his small desk.

Akashi nodded, retrieving the papers out of his damp bag, luckily, it was made from good quality fabric and the insides remained mostly dry.

They settled down on the mattress, the sound of a rusty spring expanding under their weight dissented through the room and they laid out the papers neatly and began working.

* * *

They were almost finished the assignment.

Kuroko rubbed his hazy eyes at the poster, proud of it's detailed explanations, and neat writing.

Akashi scrutinised it with his ruby eyes, clear and focused, clearly not suffering from the late hour, and found it satisfactory.

"It appears like we will complete it very soon." Kuroko claimed, beginning to clean away the books and scraps.

Akashi nodded rolling the poster up, and tucking it back into his bag.

Using his hand to stifle a yawn, Kuroko arose, wincing at the harsh squeak from the mattress.

"I will get you some clothes to sleep in." Kuroko mumbled opening his cupboard to source a some warm clothes and handed them to Akashi.

He turned the other way to give Akashi privacy, and changed as well. They washed up in the bathroom, and soon enough, they were both in bed.

Kuroko took a little time to adjust to the feeling of an unfamiliar presence in the room, especially Akashi's overbearing one. Who would have thought he would have the class representative sleeping on the mattress below him? His friends at school would have a fit if he told them.

The rain still patted on the window like thousands of tiny pebbles.

He felt sleep nudging his conscience, and he soon succumbed to the lull of darkness.

* * *

Kuroko woke to a particularly loud wall of rain pounding on his glass window like fists. He stared sleepily at pitch blackness of the room, beginning to feel himself be transported in a wispy haze back to his subconscious.

Murmuring.

Voices soft as a prayer, cut through Kuroko's dreams like a blade.

The voice sounded like his fathers!

Longing to see his father overcame him, and he quietly arose from his bed to seek the man out. This time Kuroko vowed he would not hesitate to speak to the man, despite how tired he was.

The dining room light blinded his unadjusted eyes, and he forced a tired hand to shield his face from the harsh artificial rays which burned into his eyes like the sun.

From the staircase, he excitedly sighted his parents hunched over dining room table. Their faces were stern, and voices only harsh whispers. His assurance evaporated quicker than the rain in spring, and he could only stare at his parents nervously.

Kuroko listened intently, but could articulate any sentences. Without really thinking, he quietly padded down the stairs, and crouched onto his knees when he reached the bottom.

The floor was cool and hard under his knees, and he shuffled closer.

"How long until it is official?" His mother whispered, unusually fast.

"About a week or so." his father replied in dejected susurration.

"Do you know of any companies that are hiring right now?"

Why were they talking about jobs? Kuroko wondered. Was his father moving to a better job with good hours?

"It is a bit of an odd time to start looking for employees," his father sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I can't believe they didn't give you more notice. They should have told you months ago!"

"About ten other men were told today as well." His fathers eyes were glued to the table. "What if I can't find another job? What are we going to do?"

Kuroko backed up with a start. His father was loosing his job!?

His mother grabbed his hand, and squeezed it. "We will cross that bridge when we get there. I have a feeling that things will turn fine."

"What about Tetsuya?"

The eavesdropping boy gulped at his father's mention of him.

"What kind of father am I if I can't even sustain the family?" His father murmured, hunching over.

His back began to tremble like jelly and Kuroko realised that his father was crying.

He could not look. There was something deep lodged down the boys throat, turning the insides into a dry and scratchy compaction. He turned away and stumbled up the stairs as fast and quietly as possible, and heading for his room.

His vision blurred warmly as his eyes moistened. Not once could Kuroko recall his father crying.

The floor was stolen from beneath him when his foot connected with something. The air rushed from his lungs and the earth tilted dizzily.

He awaited the painful contact with the hard floor, but it did not arrive. Instead, a soft object cushioned his fall.

The surface squeaked harshly, and rippled like a stormy sea. The form arose inhumanly quickly and peered down at him with clear red eyes, eyebrows arched in mild surprise.

He had just fallen directly onto Akashi.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21- The Offer**

The rain outside clapped like an uproarious audience, seeming only to mock and humiliate Kuroko further. Not daring to give his situation away by wiping his blurry eyes with his hand, Kuroko instead swallowed quietly, attempting to force the shock, uncertainty, and sadness down with the action, somewhere deep into his body where it would never be uncovered. However, despite his efforts, the poignancy clung to him like the immovable droplets had when they had walked home in the downpour.

He trusted in the darkness of the night to hide his sadness.

"I am very sorry," luckily his voice did not betray him and was as steady as always. "I could not see in the dark."

Akashi peered down at him blankly, and remained silent; allowing Kuroko's slippery words to sound loud and obtrusive. His pale, porcelain skin seemed to glow ethereally in the little light available in the room, his hair was a ruby colour, highlighting the neat folds of the strands.

The words that slid smoothy from Akashi lips made Kuroko freeze tensely.

"Why are you crying?"

Kuroko should never have doubted the boy couldn't see in the dark, and reminded himself to never underestimate the class representative in any matter.

"No reason, I am going to go back to bed." He assured hastily, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anxiety creep up from the back of his neck. Using his palms to lift himself from the mattress, he planned a quick escape. However, before he could, the mattress spring emitted a harsh, shrill squeak, and he halted immediately, hoping his family would not conclude the boys were awake and check on them.

The red gaze was locked onto him like a target. The boy did not demand any more, but stared at him strangely.

"Is it regarding your father?" Akashi asked again, voice steady, but not entirely emotionless.

The cool, wintry air flowed inside Kuroko's lungs, and had a soothing effect. He considered the boy before him warily, before nodding slowly. "We really must go back to sleeping. I am sorry I woke you."

Akashi's pale face was as unmoving as a stone statue pictured throughout their study of ancient Rome as Kuroko moved away listlessly.

"You must care for him greatly."

"I do." Kuroko affirmed turning away, but stopped before he removed himself completely. Hoping to arise some empathy in Akashi so he would not question further, "You care about your father, don't you?"

Akashi did not respond, and Kuroko stared at the darkened figure.

When he realised Akashi was not going to respond, his heart grew cold. Kuroko moved away to return to his bed, but his wrist was caught in that bruising grip.

"No, I am afraid I can not comprehend what you are feeling. Nor do I feel anything for my father."

They were very harsh words.

"Surely you do not mean tha-"

"I do." Akashi clipped bluntly. "But I can try to understand. So tell me what's wrong."

Kuroko sighed tiredly, gripping the bed sheets with his free hand, and attempting to process the information Akashi gave him. For some reason, his mind flashed the memory of Akashi's detached, cynical expression when he had been conversing on the mobile phone that fateful day. The very some device that now lay defunct and lifeless on Kuroko's desk.

"I believe he might be loosing his job," Kuroko confessed quietly, not wanting to meet the eyes of the strange boy before him.

When Akashi did not answer, he suddenly felt very childish. He must be starved of companionship if he was confiding in the class representative, a boy he barely knew and who he was unsure whether he could trust, or even enjoy the company of. Nor could the boy do anything remotely helpful about it.

The uncertainty of his frivolous divulgence which bubbled under his skin like boiling water, reached its limit in an unclimatic display of him rising carefully from the mattress, wincing at the harsh sound of protest from the rusty springs. Luckily, Akashi released his wrist, letting him make an easy departure.

"Sorry for bothering you." Kuroko muttered, voice only betraying a slight chagrined tone. Clambering back into his bed, and under the now frosty blankets, he felt the embarrassment coil tightly within the pit of his stomach like a hungry snake curling around a mouse.  
This combined with the anxious worry for the wellbeing of his father plaguing his brain did not make a comfortable match.

Thankfully, the murmurs stopped very soon after, and Kuroko was able to manage a light sleep.

* * *

Morning came with a flurry of chirping birds and shallow beams of sunshine that penetrated the light dusting of rain clouds in the sky. The proceedings of the previous night seemed like a hazy dream, and Kuroko struggled to recall if it actually happened.

Although, he remembered two cold truths that were too concrete to be from his imagination.

His father was loosing his job.

Kuroko was unsure what this would mean for his family, but he understood that they may be heading for hard times ahead.

Also, he had confided in Akashi.

Kuroko glanced discreetly at the pale boy currently sipping cheap cereal from a spoon opposite him. Heat crawled from the back of his neck, and his breakfast tasted like soggy cardboard in his mouth. The boy did not meet his gaze, but gave a inconspicuous tilt of his head to acknowledge Kuroko's gaze.

He hoped Akashi would not bring anything up, and forget about the whole event. Although, that was probably unlikely.

"Isn't it wonderful it has stopped raining!" His mother chirped, a pile of dirty washing in her arms. Kuroko wondered how she was holding up with the unfortunate news, and if her overall positive attitude was just her way of dealing with it.

"The bridge is still flooded I'm afraid, but I think it should be cleared by tomorrow." She added, setting down the clothing and pouring some cereal for herself.

The boys nodded wordlessly, and continued eating. His mother eyed Kuroko and Akashi suspiciously at the tense silence.

"You boys should go play outside! It's not good for children to be cooped up indoors!"

"But mother, it's still very wet." Kuroko reasoned, not wanting to spend anytime in the weather, or alone with the class representative.

"Come on! It's just a bit of water!" She exclaimed, "I'll go get the raincoats, I'm sure there in the cupboard somewhere." She whizzed out of the room like a fleeing deer.

The two boys shared a look when she excitedly retrieved a pair of lurid yellow raincoats and gum boots.

The raincoats were restricting and uncomfortably squeaky against their skin. Nonetheless, his mother rushed them outside.  
True to Kuroko's word, the scape appeared very sodden. Puddles lined every surface, and droplets decorated every leaf and branch. Luckily, it had stopped raining, so Kuroko tugged his coat closer and trudged through the moist grass. His boots were constantly lodged into the thick mud, and almost came off his feet when he attempted another step.

Akashi strolled impervious beside him, and the silence was as thick and impenetrable as the soil beneath their feet. Kuroko could sense the cardinal orbs watching him, but he did not spare the boy a glance, and kept his eyes adamantly forward. He could not shake the feeling of embarrassment that seemed to inundate all his emotions, he had rarely felt this apprehensive.

"Kuroko," the boy beside him voiced sternly. But there was a softer edge to it that sent alarm bells ringing almost as violently as the unusual use of his last name.

He turned to peer at Akashi. He looked oddly intimidating in the bright yellow raincoat.

"I have considered what you told me last night." The boy began.

Kuroko's stomach crawled with embarrassment, like the scurrying of tiny rats, agonising that he brought up their conversation last night.

"And as my family owns a business, whose influence spans nationally, and locally. It wouldn't be difficult to recommend your father to a company."

"What?" Kuroko asked, not understanding how this was relevant or why Akashi was telling him this.

The class representative stared blankly at him, but a small twitch of his lips signalled that he either suppressed a sigh or a smile.  
"I can get your father a job."

Those words washed over him like a violent wave at a windy beach, leaving him slightly disorientated. Why would he do this for him? What would Akashi gain? Or was it out of kindness? After all, he did invite Akashi to stay at his house until the bridge cleared.  
But Kuroko had a very bad feeling from the offer. Akashi was scheming something, and his motives were largely unknown. He did not picture the boy repaying a small, kind act with something that could change the life of his family drastically.

However his heart tempted him to accept. His father's exhausted face played behind his eyes like a flickering movie projector.  
Securing his father a job would save his family a great deal of hardship. If he did not accept, would it be all his fault? Was his distrust of Akashi becoming too unreasonable? After all, the boy had driven him home when it was raining with reasonable intentions.

Conflicting emotions waged a destructive war inside his brain. He was lost for words, and had no idea what to do. He opened his mouth, but closed it, reminding himself of a fish. The streets were empty, and there was only the sweet serenity of chirping birds could be heard.

With a decision made, Kuroko bowed, staring at the brown sludge beneath his boots. "Thank you very much for the kind offer." He began, wondering if he was making the right decision. "But I believe my father would not want a job he did not earn himself."

There was no visible reaction, the boy's face remained unchanged as stone.  
"Very well." Akashi intoned, his unsurprised voice as if he expected the decline.

The offer of security tasted bitter in his mouth, and Kuroko turned, gum boots squeaking unpleasantly in the mud. He shoved his cold hands inside his pockets, with feigned nonchalance, but felt oddly shaken.

He glanced discreetly at the boy, and he reconsidered his harsh reaction. All motives aside, it was a generous offer. Recently, Akashi had done very nice services for him, and he ought to offer to return the favours sometime. His mother taught him to never forget a kind deed

"Akashi..." he began hesitantly. "I know I do not have much, but please let me know if I can do anything for you."

Akashi nodded, "Likewise."

Kuroko smiled, and received a faint tugging of lips in return.  
That was good enough for him.


End file.
